Chapter 1: Hotel Blue Moon
Chapter Text
The hotel was aglow in the moon light.
It had been a rather slow day and yet it's owner seemed to be tense. Looking at the new souls that entered this night, Shin Dal took a swig of his whisky. Displeasure was written over his face.
It had been quiet for the past couple of weeks, which usually meant an influx of work was coming soon. The fates would make sure of that. But that was nothing new, Shin Dal was used to the work schedule and the variations it came in, no, the work with the dead was not the problem, it was the living that concerned him as of late.
Ever since one of the fates came to see him two weeks ago, his mind hadn’t found rest since then.
Shin Dal was walking through the hotel when he felt her arrive. It was a strange feeling, since the hotel was connected to his very damned soul it felt like an intuition every time an outsider would step into the halls that he was forced to call home.
It never felt like this when the dead came calling, this place was made for them, made to accommodate their every need and desire. That was not something that Shin Dal could comprehend, he still failed to see why the people who were dead anyway needed comforting. It’s not like thy felt anything.
“They probably feel more then you do with that cold outlook on you job.” The hotel owner rolled his eyes at the older woman’s words, making sure she could not see him do it, even though she probably did anyway. The fates saw everything and everyone, all the time.
“What are you doing here? I thought I asked you to not come unannounced.” His tone was lacking of emotion; he didn’t like to show the fates more then they were already able to see.
“I know, I know, you don’t like to be disturbed but I felt the wind change for the 15th time this month and that means…” she gestured for him to finish her thought. Not that he could, he had no idea what a change of the wind after 15 times entailed for him but by her excitement it couldn’t be something good.
He shook his head with a question look.
Shin Dal was lucky that it was not the fate of revenge or karma, whatever they called her these days. She would have had his head at his rude behavior. She was also the one that tied him to a hotel full of dead people for the next, go knows how many years.
No, the one he was dealing with right now was a tolerable one, while fates were all rather questionable beings and it was hard to attribute a single job to one of them, especially since all of them had the same face, he never minded dealing with the fate of love. But id did confuse him why she was here in the first place. This was a hotel for the dead and the dead didn’t love nor did they fall in love.
After a long pause and a blank stare, she gave up on him and shook her head in exasperation, “Aigo, I sometimes forget that you have only been doing this for a year. You’ll learn what the signs mean with time. The fact that it’s been a year and the wind has changed 15 times in the first month of the second year means that you get to finally have your first manager and this also means you get to leave this place form now on. Not for too long, if you stay away for too long then the tree will automatically follow you.”
Shin Dal had stopped listening, he got to leave the hotel. Not for a long time but he could walk outside and amongst the people! Whilst he had heard that his predecessor was allowed to leave immediately, they seemed to have changed the rules a bit and now the new owners of the hotel were not allowed to leave until they had spent some time acquainting themselves with their new “life” or so the fates put it.
Not that one could really call being chained to a hotel for eternity a life. But he would look past that for today and instead focus on the fact that he was allowed to go get a drink in a bar. Who cares about the manager situate- wait…
“A manager? Why would I need a manager?”
The old lady laughed, “Oh Shin Dal, you can’t go around paying taxes and talk to human beings, you need a manager to perform these tasks and to manage employees.”
He gave her another blank stare then his forehead crinkled in confusion, “Aren’t you… gods? Shouldn’t you be able to avoid paying taxes?”
The fate of love only tuted, “Shin Dal honestly, you are so pretty and yet so clueless. This building and the ground it stands on are in the human world, this isn’t something we have created, it belongs to nature and its laws. If a tsunami came tomorrow this building would be swept away like the rest. We abide to the natural law and thus we also have to follow the laws that humans impose on these grounds.” She said all this in an incredibly obvious tone.
How was he supposed to know this though? No one had ever given him a crash course and now he was made to feel stupid for things he didn’t know even though he couldn’t know them in the first place and if he hated one thing then it was to feel stupid or inadequate. Both things he felt like right. The pout that came was unbidden.
Recognizing her misstep, she sighed and looked at him with apologetic eyes, “I’m sorry, I sometimes forget that you aren’t Man Wol. I know this is difficult for you, it was for her as well but trust me, after a couple of years you’ll completely forget how the other world works and know this place better then anything you ever have.”
Somehow, that didn’t sound as lucrative as she made it out to be.
Putting his skepticism aside Shin Dal asked another question that had surfaced during the course of this conversation, “So if this is about business, why would the fate of love come talk to me? No offense of course.”
The elderly woman gave him a bright smile, there was a glint in her eyes that made Shin Dal uncomfortable. Something told him that he wasn’t seeing the full picture nor the true intent of this woman’s visit.
“That is an excellent question and one that I am not in the slightest obliged to answer.” He rolled his eyes again and took a deep breath to stave of his annoyance. “Oh stop acting all whiny, it won’t be the end of the world until some time and it won’t kill you if you don’t know everything immediately.” She walked to the tree that was in the center of the room, the secret harden that was just for his eyes alone.
The fate beckoned him over. He made his way to her slowly, hesitantly, not really sure if he wanted to know what she had to tell him. But no matter how slow he made his journey he still eventually arrived next her her. They both looked at the seemingly lifeless tree.
Out of no where she looked at him, the same glint back in her eyes that she had before, “now let me tell you about that manager of yours.”
She had told him about a woman called Eun Young who wasn’t actually a hotel manager but a club manager. At his questions the fate told him that it didn’t matter for now and that he should shut up and listen to her; he did.
He was to wait two weeks and then approach her on her way to work on Friday evening and ask her if she would consider being employed elsewhere. The fate also told Shin Dal that he had the power to give her the sight, something he dubbed that made people see the ghosts surrounding them, he should make sure that he gave it to her so she knew he wasn’t a loon.
After the detailed instructions he still had questions however, “What if she doesn’t want to be a hotel manager? Do I just take the sight back and leave?”
The old woman gave him a humorous look and raised her eyebrows in challenge, “Now, now Shin Dal, here I thought you aren’t one to give up easy when it comes to something you want.”
But he didn’t really want her, he wanted… he didn’t really know what he wanted at this point anymore. Spontaneously becoming the owner of a hotel for souls could do that to a person. Deciding that he should just go check the situation out and shut up about it was the conclusion he came to.
The problem though and he was loath to admit it was that he got nervous talking to strangers. Ever since he was a child and his childhood was not something he liked to remember, he couldn’t calm himself down around strangers. Over the years he learned how to not let it show because letting this sort of weakness show would get you mugged for sure. He would burry his discomfort when the situation needed him to but that didn’t mean he was calm, he just looked like he was.
Another difficulty was leaving the hotel. Yes, he waited for this moment for a year but… now that he was used to this place and the permanent residence that worked for him, leaving left him feeling uneasy. What if the world had completely changed since he was gone? It sometimes felt like he spent more then just a year in this place.
However, there was nothing he could do about this situation so he decided to get this over with as quickly as possible. Grabbing his suit jacket and picking up an umbrella since it looked like rain was coming. He headed out. Whilst the concierge Ki Do gave him a look he didn’t say anything more, too scared of his boss, the only thing he did was wave goodbye and wish him a pleasant evening.
Ignoring his employee Shin Dal took the first step outside of his hotel since a year and was immediately disappointed by the lack off… anything. The world still looked the same. Cars were driving past the busy street a block away and a dog was barking in the close by park.
Shrugging his shoulders, he turned around to take a look at his grand hotel. Hotel Blue Moon was highlighted in an eerie blue colour fitting to the whole vibe of this place. Shin Dal thought.
On his way down the stairs he encountered a lost soul in search for the hotel, putting on his best manners he guided the very wet dead man to the front door, the poor guy must have fallen in the Han river around January, definitely a very clumsy cause of death. After he was taken care of Shin Dal glanced at the map that he received from the fate and made his way to the manager’s work place.
The more Shin Dal walked down the streets of Seoul, the more alive he felt. Being locked up in one place for that long while everyone else was living their life had taken a toll on him, he had half a mind to board a plane and never come back but he knew that his life didn’t work like that, not anymore.
Regardless, he was happy enough with not being stuck in his office. While he was a workaholic he did enjoy spending time away as well. To his dismay however, he arrived at his destination way sooner then he would have liked. The night club seemed to still be closed since it was only six in the evening, so he waited. Watching the street lights flicker without a rhythm to it until it went out completely.
Somebody has to change that.
He waited another five minutes before the light sprang back on again, it happened so abruptly that Shin Dal flinched a bit. But it wasn’t just the street light that had him startled, it was a feeling. One he hadn’t felt in a long time, maybe ever but it still felt familiar to him. Like he had known it in a past life or a distant dream, knowing what he did now about past lives and such he wouldn’t be surprised if this was actually the case. Before he could really examine what was going on inside of him he heard a deep and husky yet feminine voice behind him.
“Hello, can I help you?”
The feeling grew stronger and he slowly turned around only to be stunned into silence. He couldn’t quite explain how he knew that he was looking for her specifically but these days he couldn’t explain half the things that happened to him so he decided not to question it further. Instead he tried to burry all of the things he felt and put on a mask of cool indifference.
Giving the very beautiful woman in front of him a slight bow he spoke, “I was actually here to talk to you, you are miss Eun Young right?”
There was a brief flicker of apprehension in her eyes and her body tensed, ready to fight whoever knew her name. she didn’t say anything only nodded stiffly.
“I’m Shin Dal, I own a rather… special hotel and wanted to ask if you are willing to be the manager of this establishment.” The tension in her body gave away to confusion and then to a look that could only be described as bewilderment.
“A… special hotel… establishment… are you trying to get me to work at a brothel?” while the question was posted in an unsure voice he could see the curiosity in her eyes that signalled that she wouldn’t be completely opposed to managing a sex club. Interesting, but again, the young man didn’t have time to look at that small tied bit but rather was preoccupied in shaking his head vehemently and cringing.
Holding up his hands and making a waving motion he exclaimed, “No, no that’s not at all what I meant with that! I- it’s complicated to explain-“ before he could continue though he felt the present of a just recently deceased person. Looking to his right he saw a rather young woman walking down the street, her head bloody and body bruised. She stopped her track when she saw him staring at her and made her way over.
Not the best timing for this, since he would have liked to prove that he was not insane to Eun Young and talking to a ghost she could not see was definitely counter productive but it was his job and if he did anything then it was to take his job seriously. He bowed to the ghost when she was close enough and greeted her.
“Good evening mam.”
She nodded at him, head still leaking blood, then she turned to Eun Yeong and nodded at her too, who nodded right back.
Before he could ask the woman if she was looking for the hotel, his brain registered the very real fact that Eun Young just bowed to a ghost, which meant that she could see them. Did he give her the sight already by just meeting her? no that couldn’t be correct he was supposed to do something, but then why did she respond to a ghost? Maybe she was playing along to what seemed like a weird roll play from her perspective.
Her next words shattered that logic, “Hello miss, you must be looking for Hotel Blue Moon.” She waited politely for the woman to node, “It’s just down the street, this man-“ she gestured to Shin Dal, “is the owner he might walk you back just give us a second to discuss this job offer he gave me.” The ghost nodded again and took a couple of steps back. Waiting on the other side of the street.
Shin Dal gapped at her, “You- but- I never gave you- why can you see ghosts?” this was it, the fates had definitely pranked him this time. He was sure of it.
“I can see ghosts since I was a child…” her eyes glazed over in the way they would do when one recalled a distant memory. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the image that her mind was projecting. It must have been a monumental occurrence since it allowed her to see ghosts.
Something told him to not pry into it any further. But then why did the fates send him to talk to this woman and give her the sight when she already had it. Also, didn’t this mean that he had no leverage into black mailing her to work for him? She seemed to get on with ghosts just fine.
The silence must have gone on for to long because she interrupted his thoughts and questions that were swirling in his mind, “you want me to work for you? The fates already told me about you, the whole brothel question was a joke by the way, you just made it sound like a sex club. I knew who you were.” That statement seemed to have more hidden beneath the surface. There was something going on that he wasn’t part of and neither the fates nor this woman was being very helpful about it.
“I told the fates that I would consider the offer but first I would like to see a contract. Please send it to this address.” She gave him slip of paper with her phone number and address. Shin Dal was so stunned by the turn of events that he couldn’t get his body to take the piece of paper form her. It took the woman in front of him to clear her throat for him to spring into action.
Reaching out his fingers brushed against her hand and at the contact that feeling he had before came back tenfold and with it came a very distant and deeply buried memory. Cold, all he could feel was the cold, he had never been so cold before and he could hear a voice in the distance, yelling a name. He thought that the cold feeling that came was bad but the shiver that ran down his spine at just the hint of this voice…
He snatched his hand away from her and watched her bawl her hand into a fist and slowly retracting it. Shin Dal was studying Eun Yeong’s eyes, looking for a familiarity, looking for answers to what just happened.
He found none.
“They’ve met, just like you wanted. Just like you intended.” One of the fates said to another. The dark one, the one that most humans feared the most.
“Yes, let’s see if they turn out to be as useful as I had hoped.”
Both women looked at the tree of the moon but only one of them saw a small bud forming on a branch in the very back. Small and yet so telling. She smiled.
Chapter 2: Consideration
Notes:
I had a mild ski accident and have a slight concussion if this chapter is weird. i don't think it is but maybe I'll come back to this and be like what the hell. Hope not hahah.
Enjoy this one and I hope you are all okay
Chapter Text
Eun Yeong was typing some things on her computer, not that she could really say what she was working on, her mind was… occupied. Shin Dal that was his name, the name of the new hotel owner of Del Luna or better said Blue Moon. She had some run ins with some of the former hotel staff and even their elusive manager but not once was she asked to manage there.
Not until now.
This could only mean one thing. The fates had their hands all over this and it made her distrust the situation or what it could lead to in the long run and yet… she would be lying if she didn’t think about the young mans offer. It would also be a lie to say that she wasn’t interested in working for such an exclusive establishment, especially when she though of all the jobs that would be laid at her feet after she decided to move on.
Ten years is all that it would take and then she could head to another place, another exclusive hotel or business that would accept her with open arms.
But those damn fates…
They always had made her wary, ever since the day she met one of them. Mostly because they brought with them someone she would rather steer clear from. If she were completely honest it was more the other way around, he brought them. Where he went, they stuck close by, watching him and his awful antics but never interfering, never stopping him.
It took Eun Yeong many years to realize that they didn’t do this by choice. That the fates were not allowed to stop or interfere with this particular person’s doings. Which had always given her chills because if the fates weren’t allowed to get in between him and his quest then who was? Or the better question was, what was he to be so untouchable by the immortal, almost god like, fate that humanity usually placed on such a high pedestal?
The young woman glanced absentmindedly out the window for what seemed like the seventh time in twenty minutes.
What to do? What to do?
Only the insistent knocking at her door was able to drag Eun Yeong back into the land of the now and her head snapped to the figure that was now entering her office space. Her big eyes fixed on the man she had known for almost too long. Her boss, Lee Sang In strolled into the room, an apologetic smile on his face.
It always amused her when he did this. Eun Yeong didn’t really know when their positions switched and she became his boss and he became her employee but it seemed like Sang In had decided that she was his go to for everything that he couldn’t quite figure out, be it managing untrained or unruly employees or just business wise. With that need came a respect and power that she relished very much.
Could she give this up for a hotel full of ghosts?
Yes, the gig she had now was sweet, the hours wouldn’t change since the hotel made most of it’s business during the night time but this place here couldn’t offer her all she wanted in life, what if Blue Moon could?
Sang In sat down in the chair adjacent to her, gaze curious.
Stopping her typing, Eun Yeong gave him an expecting look. Waiting for him to come with the next problem that she would have to solve. While she knew that he was a capable man and he could probably solve them himself, it seemed that Sang In decided that no matter how good or capable he was, Eun Yeong was better and thus he sent her. Or maybe he was just lazy and used her to make his work life easier. That thought had crossed her mind too, many times actually.
But it seemed that Sang In wasn’t here to ask her for work advice or to handle a situation. Instead he gave her a look full of suspicion and asked, “Do you have a boyfriend these days Miss Seong?”
Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline, he had certainly never asked her anything this personal before and besides why would he…
Aaaah, he must have seen them then. Shin Dal and her.
It was a very obvious conclusion to get to. He saw her standing by the entrance of her place of work with a man that was her age and very handsome, she would have come to the same end thought as Sang In.
Regardless, she puffed out some air from her nose and shook her head whilst smiling, “No Sang In I do not. The man that you saw earlier was a hotel manager, he asked me to work for him.”
This was the perfect opportunity to bring this situation up with Lee, who had to be treated in a delicate matter when it came to anything she did that might threaten their work together. She remembered asking him for an extended holiday once and the coddling it took from her get him to calm down enough to see reason. This would most definitely be worse.
Going by the initial reaction of Lee going chalk white and looking like he might throw up, she was correct.
“Wha- what? Are you… are you considering his offer?” the confusion set in after his first questions, “Wait! Since when are you in hotel management? Don’t you need a special kind of degree for that sort of job?”
He wasn’t incorrect per se, she had thought about this too, but apparently the fates didn’t really care about this small detail at this stage of their plan and she supposed management of a hotel staff and it’s resources could be compared to the management of staff and recourses for a bar, the rest she cold learn along the way.
Shrugging to his last question, Eun Yeong replied, “I did consider it, yes.”
Lee immediately fell back into his chair, after having shot out of it, groaning all the while, “This is it, I am doomed! I knew this day would come when you would be whisked away by someone younger and more handsome then I am. I should have prepared for this day but… I never expected it to be so soon.” To her surprise tears glinted on the edge of his eyes.
“Oh don’t be so dramatic Sang In, I’m just considering it. I haven’t even seen the contract that he wants me to sign and we both know how picky I am with contracts. Besides… it’s a special hotel and I might not be what he really is looking for in the end.” The last part was only half a lie. Since she was pretty certain that the fates had sent him and he didn’t come of his own free will to her. Shin Dal might actually not be looking for someone like her but was made to by higher powers.
“We both know that when you consider something it’s almost a done deal!” he accused, “How can you do this to me? Your right hand man! I have been a brother to you, a man by your side, a family when you had none other and now-! It’s taken a pretty face with pretty eyes and a snazzy look to whisk you away. THE TRAGEDY!”
Eun Yeong didn’t dignify that outburst with a response and only gave Lee a look of boredom.
He held up his hands in a gesture of peace and straightened his tie. “Okay okay, a bit on the dramatic side but… if my best employee considers leaving what do you expect.” It seemed that he was done with his little show and thus his speech had become way calmer as well.
The younger woman shook her head gently, “You know that I would never leave without knowing that this place is in good hands and I will never cut this business out of me completely. I would always visit and you could always call during emergencies.”
Eying her he replied, “It sounds like you have already been thinking about what happens when you sign that contract.”
All he got was a sigh from her. Sang In was right, if she considered an offer it was good enough and appealing enough for her to also say yes to it and whilst she didn’t realize it until Sang In pointed it out, Eun Yeong had been planning for when she would eventually leave. She decided to blame it on the fates. They put this in her path, she had to take it regardless of what she had wanted of life.
“I’ll let you know what happens after I read the contract that he will send me.” Her tone had become somber.
Sang In must have noticed and as always when she became all gloomy, he made it his mission to make her laugh, “But seriously… who dresses like that these days? I mean a vest, you serious?”
It had the intended effect and Eun Young wiggled her eyebrows and with a small smile confessed, “I actually found him very attractive in his get up.”
After accompanying the new hotel guest back to Blue Moon, Shin Dal made his way to the office on the top floor. His bedroom was connected to it since the entire top floor was his private residence, it gave him an excellent view of the Seoul sky line.
Writing out the contract took a bit longer then he expected, mainly because he had never done this before. He had no experience in writing contracts for people to sign. Regardless, he told himself if he did it once he could just copy and past it to the next manager with some adjustments. Still, he wasn’t well versed in the ways of legal employment and had never actually seen a contract before until he had to sign the one that tied him to this place.
When Shin Dal was still small his father used to tell him that contracts were made to limit an employee, that working without a contract made life easier on everyone. Of course he had believed his father back then, the young and naïve him would have believed his father anything. As he got older and slowly began to realize that his father was a crook and a bad one at that, he began to reconstruct the way he was taught to see the world only to realise that it didn’t really matter, he was too deep into the business of ripping people off the little money that they had. A deed that got him in this situation it seemed.
Whilst talking to strangers was difficult for him it quickly came to light that Shin Dal’s reserved attitude made people trust him faster. He was quiet and this somehow had given people the impression that he was a very smart and contemplative person. Whilst he was definitely smart he wasn’t trustworthy by any means. Judging by the number of people who probably cursed his name due to the wrong doings he had committed, well they got their wish, Shin Dal was definitely living a cursed life now. If one could even call this living.
Now sitting in front of his computer, head scratching due to the lack of instructions with which to proceed, he wondered how to write a contract. He glanced to his left where Eun Yeong’s card lay with her private details, remembering the odd feeling he had when she was around and the cold chill that came over him when he touched her.
One thing was for sure, the fates had clearly picked her for a reason, which was obvious before but it was made even more apparent with the occurrence at their first meeting.
What was it about her that seemed so familiar? Her big and very pretty eyes? Or her beautiful long black hair? Her full lips or her very nice bod- Shin Dal shook himself. Yes, she was beautiful but she was also off limits. The fates being involved in her recruitment made his suspicious of her intent and motivation even higher.
She was not to be trusted. Not until he knew who she was and what seemed to connect them so tightly together.
“Eun Young.” He said her name quietly, tasting it on his lips and then he waited for something to happen. Not really sure what but it might make her appear in front of him. To his disappointment simply saying her name did not bring all the answers he was seeking. Deciding to write this damn contract and get it over with, he got to work.
The night club had a good run today, Fridays and Saturdays were always the high point of the week but even for them it had been busier then usual. Thus Eun Yeong only came home in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Welcoming her silent apartment. She always welcomed the silence that came after a very long and hard day of work, one of the reasons why she wasn’t interested in dating was because she needed time after work for herself. Besides she never met a man that she deemed interesting enough for her to want to see him more then once a week or outside of work.
There had been some short lived relationships and some that took longer but they always ended eventually for one reason or another… Eun Yeong shuddered not wanting to remember what the other reason was.
Shaking her head to clear it from all her dark thoughts she made her way over to the kitchen to get some water before brushing her teeth and going to bed. That’s when she heard it, the distinct sound of someone walking through her hallway to get to the kitchen. She froze, body taught, ready to fight whoever was in her apartment.
The steps were slow, as if the person had no rush to get to her. Slow and steady, signaling confidence, something that Eun Yeong could use as well right now.
Grabbing a close by kitchen knife she readied herself for the clash between her and the stranger. Hoping, no praying that it wasn’t her worst nightmare coming to haunt her. It wasn’t time yet; she wasn’t ready to face-
The person was almost around the corner now, getting ever closer… Eun Yeong stood with the knife pointing towards the perpetrator, ready to strike.
One
Two
Three
She charged as the person came around the corner and only had a second to stop herself from stabbing one of the fates. The fate of love of all people.
The old woman startled, “Oh dear! OH- uff-“ was all she had time to say before the younger woman crashed into her and they both tumbled to the ground. Scrambling to get off of the god beneath her, Eun Yeong started to apologise.
“Sorry Halmonie, I didn’t mean to run you over, are you hurt?” helping the elderly lady up and off the floor Eun Yeong readied herself for a scolding. If she would have tackled the fate of judgment or karma like this she would probably have been disintegrated into dust by now. She could only hope that the fate of love was in a good mood today.
It seemed like Eun Yeong would get her wish because the old woman only laughed, “Oh Eun Yeong what are you doing with a kitchen knife? Do you think that could stop one of us?” she tapped her on the cheek lightly and then said sheepishly, “I’m sorry for coming here unannounced. I know that you get skittish with a person in your home especially with… well you know.”
To be fair, Eun Yeong would have not been the only woman freaking out if she heard random foot steps coming towards them in an apartment that should be empty. But she had already tackled a fate today and wasn’t going to push her luck so she kept that thought to herself. Besides, fates did not know fear, they had never experienced something similar to it. they were all powerful being after all and thus trying to explain this concept to one of them would be futile.
Giving the older woman one last check up to make sure all was well, Eun Yeong made her way to the kitchen to place the knife back into it’s rightful spot and then gave the older woman a once over.
“So what are you doing here at this hour?”
“Aren’t you going to offer me a drink first or a loving hug?”
Eun Yeong smiled, “You don’t drink water or any other human beverage. As for the hug…” she took quick steps to the old woman and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing her tightly. “I missed you! How have you been?”
The fate let go and took a step back, grinning at the woman she saw before her. the last time she had seen Eun Yeong was five years ago, she had looked younger back then, youthful, now she looked more mature and beautiful then ever before and it had thrilled her. It made her plans so much easier for her to execute.
Taking Eun Yeong’s face in her hands she gave her a once over, “Oh look at you! You have become so pretty. I always knew that all the time you spent with the fate of beauty would pay off.”
Eun Yeong had to laugh, whilst she did love the fates they could be rather shallow at times. Especially the fate of beauty or fortune. Those two were always running around and gossiping.
“Come let’s sit and catch up.” The fate directed her to the couch and made her sit whilst she brought some water over. Another thing about the fates was that once they were somewhere, and it didn’t matter where, it became theirs. Whatever it was, was irrelevant it was theirs for the time being so Eun Yeong could only watch as her apartment had now been taken over by the fate of love.
As the older woman came over and brought Eun Yeong her water she took a completely wild guess as to the reasons or better said the cause of this sudden visit, “I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume that your visit has something to do with the handsome hotel owner you sent my way the other night. Or would that be too outrageous of a conclusion?”
Her answer came in the form of a beaming smile, “You found him handsome as well?! That is wonderful!” at Eun Yeong’s raised eyebrow the Hamolnie gave her a shy smile, “I find him very good looking and I think he is just the right man… for the job, with your help of course.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion, “What job? And why would he need my help for it?”
To her dismay the old woman shook her head not willing to answer anything further, “That’s actually why I am here, I know you have your reasons for being cautious about this business but I beg you to take a chance with him- I mean with his business, I promise that this is the right decision.”
Eun Yeong was skeptical, she had heard that before and while she trusted the fates, there was clearly more going on here and it made her nervous. Regardless, she had almost confirmed that she would accept the job offer from him to Lee and now with the fate of love asking her to do this was really no way for her to say no. If a fate asked you to do something for her then you would, it would be stupid not to.
So Eun Yeong nodded slowly and told her that she was considering the offer and probably would accept it. the older woman almost jumped in joy at hearing this news.
“Oh Eun Yeong, you have not only become more beautiful but smarter as well. I love to see this! What a good decision maker you are! So you will accept it? I mean the job does come with the added security perks. Even though we have kept you as safe as we possibly can, Hotel Blue Moon would however, give you a higher level of safety then anywhere we could keep you.”
She knew that too. And this was precisely also the reason why she wanted to accept, that and the curiosity that the place evoked within her. almost all her life she had known about the other side, the life after death and it had made her want to be part of it too. How long had she spent dreaming of becoming a sorcerer or a magician when she was a child? She might still be dreaming of it these days.
So yes, security was one aspect but the childlike wonder of working in a hotel full of magic was definitely playing a bigger roll then she was ready to admit.
They had talked for a while until Eun Yeong fell asleep and the fate had left this almost daughter like figure in her life to take some rest.
The next day saw Eun Yeong heading to Hotel Blue Moon. Now that she knew of her decision after contemplating it for an entire night and having a fate ask her to accept it there was nothing else for her to do but go to the owner himself and let him know that he had a new manager.
Shin Dal sat at his desk, adding the finishing touches to the contract that he would send to his potential manager to look over and then hopefully sign. He spent all night writing the long and grueling details of what their partnership would entail and he hoped that it came over as professional and she wouldn’t notice that he had never actually done something like this before.
A knock at his door interrupted him and the head of an old woman poked in, it belonged to no other then Son Deok, one of his cleaners and caretakers at the hotel.
Annoyance filled him, they knew not to interrupt him during work hours but as always the older woman didn’t seem bothered by his displeased and somewhat rude attitude. Instead she got straight to the point and announced, “Miss Seong is here to see you.”
He stared at her blankly, “Who?”
“The new manager of our hotel, she has come to see you.”
Wait… what? How did she find… Oh right she could see ghosts which probably allowed her to see this hotel as well. He nodded at Son Deok to let her in and a second later there she stood. Dressed in skinny jeans and a tight shirt, a far cry from her formal outfit last night.
Before he could ask her what she was doing here or tell her that the contract was almost done she said, “I’m taking your offer of employment, I will need a month to find a replacement at my old job and set things there and I would appreciate if I could still be available to my team there in case of any crises.”
Shin Dal could only gap at her…
“What but I thought you needed a contract and-“ he had just written a contract the entire night and now she was just willing to accept his offer without one? Was this some stupid joke from the fates?
“I’m looking forward to working with you.” She stretched out her hand for a formal handshake and without thinking he did the same, not considering what had happened the last time they touched.
This time was different though, there was no cold and no chilling voice. No, this time he couldn’t feel the cold instead he felt…
Chapter Text
It took Eun Yeong the better part of a month to find her replacement, her old friend from management school had just returned from Norway and was now looking for work. When she heard Ju Ri complain about the low wages that most of these job offers held she quickly asked her if she wanted to replace her and take over the management business at the night club that she previously worked at. Writing out a contract and helping Ju Ri settle in took most of the time but after that it seemed that the establishment would be in good hands and Mr. Lee, weirdly enough, seemed to have less objections about Eun Yeong’s departure then he had before. She guessed it had something to do with the interested looks he threw Ju Ri’s way.
She had little contact with Shin Dal since she had stormed into his office to accept the job offer that he had proposed. It was strange, sometimes she felt that he was almost avoiding her, not just physically but in any form of contact. Eun Yeong shook her head from that thought, why would a man she barely knew be avoiding her? Nevertheless, her employer. But she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that there was something strange going on… okay working for a hotel that was made for ghosts’ kind of brought the strangeness with it.
Speaking of, Eun Yeong was looking at her clothing selection for tomorrow, it would be her first day and thus she wanted to make sure that the ghosts and the employees would feel comfortable in approaching her. thus her entire ensemble was white. From the trousers to the boots and the turtleneck and coat, only her earrings that were a pinkish red hue gave the whole outfit some colour. She knew that white calmed ghosts down and even if she wasn’t meant to have a lot of direct contact with them she was still the person they could find to complain abut poor services.
As the night swept over the Seoul skyline and the moon could be seen faintly, it was time for Eun Yeong to start her first day… night. She took a taxi to the hotel since they didn’t have any parking… it’s not like ghosts needed to get around by car unless the Grim Reaper had to pick the up. The taxi pulled up at the hotel, it was not like the taxi driver could see a hotel there, fro him it was disguised as an old museum about something so random that no human being would ever set foot in it. the charm of the fates also made it fade in anyone’s memory as soon as their eyes no longer focused on the building.
Thanking the taxi driver and paying him she made her way through the front doors and into the reception of the Blue Moon where she was immediately greeted by a young man with an overly enthusiastic smile, he bowed down.
“Hello and welcome to the Blue Moon, since you are alive and human I am assuming that you are our new manager, it is a pleasure to make you acquaintance and I look forward to working with you.” He stumbled on the last part a bit and his demeanour was tense, a sign of a nervous working environment. She wondered if Shin Dal was a good boss… by the looks of it she might have to keep an eye on this situation. Then again, it might just be this young mans personality trait to be slightly tense.
Regardless, she bowed back in greeting and introduced herself, “I am Manager Seong Eun Yeong and it’s a pleasure to meet you, could you lead me to my office space.” The young man had relaxed at her smile but when she mentioned her office he seemed to tense up again… curious.
“Umm… I am forbidden to go anywhere but the lobby and the rooms that the guests need their belongings brought to after check in. otherwise I have to stay here all the time but miss Soon Deok can help you in that regard.”
Her brows furrowed in confusion, “You are not allowed to leave this place at all?”
“No ma’am I have to stay here as long as possible to accept the guests.”
“What about your break time? Are you then allowed to go to the bar at least and enjoy a drink?”
His eyes flitted from side to side in a way that made Eun Yeong already guess the answer, “No ma’am, I… I was instructed to stay here and when the day breaks I am allowed to go into the back room-“ -he pointed to the room that was behind him-“and take my rest there, sometimes Soon Deok is nice enough to bring me some coffee.”
Eun Yeong frowned at that, who would treat an employee so badly. She would have to set some ground rules about human resource management in this hotel it seemed.
“What’s your name?” She asked while the young man got the elevator for her.
“My name is Ki Do ma’am, thank you fro asking.” Thank you for asking? Things seemed to be worse around here then anticipated.
Those thoughts however, were momentarily forgotten when the elevator to the lobby opened, and what a grand lobby it was. Beautiful black and white marble floors and an exquisitely high ceiling met her eyes. Lavish furniture and huge windows that showed the skyline of Seoul. If this was an actual hotel it would probably have been a six star one.
Only the best for the dead, Eun Yeong assumed, quickly glancing at the nervous concierge she corrected herself, Only the best for some of them.
The second they stepped out of the elevator a woman made her way towards them, she introduced herself as Soon Deok, the lady that Ki Do had been talking about. Eun Yeong’s spirits continued to sink when Soon Deok gave Ki Do a nervous glance and told him,
“Hurry back down again, you know how much he hates when you are not at your post and the first guests of the night will show up very soon.” They all looked out at the setting sun that bathed the room in a very beautiful and warm orange hue. “Go on now, I will take her from here.” Soon Deok added and Ki Do abruptly made his way back to the lift and with one last wave at her made his way back down.
When Eun Yeong looked at Soon Deok with questioning eyes the old woman just gave her a smile and signalled for Eun Yeong to follow her.
“I can bring you to your office now if you like.” Soon Deok said but after the display she just saw, Eun Yeong was more interested to find out what exactly the work relations were around here. So she stopped following the old woman and spoke,
“No, I think I would rather have you tell me why the concierge is only allowed to spend his free time in a cupboard and why it seems that he is afraid of his superiors. I think I would rather meet the staff first before heading to the office, I know we were meant to do the introductions later but it seems that this is more important.” While she spoke Soon Deok had developed a twinkle in her eyes and a slow smile was spreading on her face.
“You seem to be of a strong character, I like that, you might just be able to slap some sense into that boy upstairs, follow me we should meet the bartender and we’ll tell you how work life is around here over a drink. Of course without the boss knowing it.” She gave her a wink and led the way into a completely different direction.
The bar was as gorgeous as the rest of the hotel that she had seen so far. The fates used to tell her stories about this hotel back when it was still called Del Luna and whilst she knew of it’s beauty this was far beyond her imagination. The bar was made out of expensive dark wood with the same marble top as the floor. Behind it stood the various beverages it had to offer, neatly displayed and illuminated by the warm violet light.
The seats were red velvet stools and the bar area had more tables around with chairs so ghost could lounge around before they were ready to depart this world and start their journey into a new one.
Both women sat on the stools and waited for the bar keeper to come out of wherever he was hiding. Or so Eun Yeong thought because the next thing Soon Deok did was tap on the marble top of the bar and call out, “Sang Tae come out from down there, the new manager wants to hear how awful we are being treated by out boss.
Eun Yeong couldn’t quite believe what she was witnessing next. Behind the bar a small sliding door opened and a man seemingly coming out of no where stepped out. His back was turned to them but Eun Yeong had already gotten up to look at the whole mechanism from behind the bar. The sliding door had vanished again and Eun Yeong was left bewildered.
Sang Tae turned to the new addition to the hotel staff and greeted her with a smile, “Don’t mind that you’ll get sued to it. My break room is down bellow this bar.”
Her eyes bulged, “What?! You are telling me that you have to spend your free time underneath the bar?”
The other man only shrugged and said, “Yeah, I mean what are we going to do if a guest want’s a drink real quick, I have to be available.”
“There surly must be another bar tender to… tend the bar.”
Sang Tae shook his head, “No, there are no other employees but Soon Deok, Ki Do and me, the rest all quit because the working conditions are so bad. They’d rather be dead then work here. Can’t say I blame them.” He chuckled at that but Eun Yeong was anything but amused.
“You are telling me that everyone that I have met… you three, are already the full team of this hotel? This hotel is run by three people and the owner?”
He nodded his head and in response Eun Yeong took a bottle from the display opened it and poured herself a drink. It wasn’t like her to drink on the first day of the job or on any other day but this warranted liquid courage. Downing the alcoholic beverage, she looked between Soon Deok and Sang Tae.
Letting out a big sigh she gestured for them to tell her what was going on in this place.
It was definitely not what she had imagined. Shin Dal seemed distant but Eun Yeong would have given him the professional integrity to run this place but apparently that trust was misplaced.
Sang Tae and Soon Deok gave a lengthy and somewhat detailed recount on how they got to this spot and how almost everyone of the staff quit after only two weeks of working with him.
“We used to be 208 staff members in the beginning, from valet to room service and cleaning crew, all of them quit soon after.” Sang Tae finished.
Eun Yeong shook her head but another question was forming in her mind that eclipsed her despair, “Why haven’t you guys quit, I’m sure it has only gotten worse over the time and the more people left the more work was given to you three… I mean you live under the bar for gods’ sake!”
She watched as the older woman and man exchanged glances and that’s when Eun Yeong remembered something that one of the fates told her once, when she was younger and the hotel was just a story. It was rude to ask ghosts why they wanted to stay here rather then move on into the afterlife. Those reasons were often incredibly private and tied to deep emotional pain or regret thus it was not a question lightly asked. Before either of them could answer she gave a bow in apology, “I’m very sorry, that was incredibly careless of me. Please forget that I ever said something.”
From her deep bow Eun Yeong could hear Soon Deok chuckle and when she looked up the older woman was looking at her with confidence, “I think if anyone can light a fire under the big boss’s ass and change some things around here that it is you. As for our stories… maybe we can talk about it when you retire.”
That was enough of a forgiveness to place a grin on Eun Yeong’s face and they continued to discuss the working hours and how much staff they would have to higher going forward.
They were almost at the end of the planning when they could hear someone rasping their throat. As the trio turned around they saw none other then Shin Dal standing at the entrance to the bar, a displeased look on his face. Both, Soon Deok and Sang Tae bowed quickly, an unease expression on both of their faces.
“It’s almost time for the first guests to arrive and the other guests will probably be using the facilities that we offer soon. Why are neither of you at your posts?” His words sounded angrier with every word said and Eun Yeong furrowed her brow in confusion. Why was he all of a sudden so… barky? What had happened to the quiet man that approached her on the street?
Before she could question him on his rude behaviour towards his staff, the staff in question already bowed again deeply and Soon Deok practically ran in the direction of the lobby where she would be taking the guests off of Ki Do and bringing them to their rooms. Sang Tae pretended to look for a liquor bottle underneath the bar thus leaving Eun Yeong to the praying eyes of her new superior.
“Lets go miss Seong I need to show you where your work place will be.” When he spoke to her his voice changed. It was less angry and harsh, it sounded more like a tone that one would use to talk to an equal rather then… well she didn’t really thing the tone he had used before was appropriate in any context. Regardless, she nodded her head and followed him towards the elevator and up they went.
It was awkwardly silent before Eun Yeong found her courage to speak what was on her mind.
“Would you like to explain to me why this hotel manages three employees? Why they cannot leave their work place at any moment and they practically have no free time nor time to rest? Or why you talk to them like they are some dogs you picked up from the street?”
He gave no outwards reaction to her accusations, in fact Shin Dal didn’t say anything to her at all at first only after what seemed like an inappropriate time span did he give her an answer. A very displeasing one.
“Because they are… they basically are from the streets. If I wouldn’t give them work, they would have to move over the bridge and into the afterlife… I am doing them a favour by employing them. As for the rest time, I don’t know how to tell you this but they are ghosts they don’t really need to sleep or drink or eat, they are dead. I can’t explain the loss of staff though, I know I can be somewhat cruel but why so many chose the afterlife and not this… well I can’t have the answers to everything.”
She gapped at him, not sure if she heard correctly. “Ghosts or not, it doesn’t give you the right to talk to them like this or treat them like slaves. Even if they don’t need food or water or even sleep, they were once human, they still desire these things.” And they did. Eun Yeong remembered that one time when she was 14, she had run away from some place to find the fates and beg them to let her stay somewhere else because she hated the environment that she was kept in at that time. Instead of finding the fates however, she found a middle aged ghost wandering around the countryside that she had stayed at.
Going up to him she asked if he needed something or if he was looking for someone, new and old ghosts often wandered through the streets trying to recall what they had been doing before dying. It wasn’t unusual to spot some wandering lost souls here and now. The man had nodded and with some effort, his jaw had been broken probably due to a car crash that also led to his demise, asked her where the next convenience store was. He was in need for Soju.
Being the helpful ghost guide that Eun Yeong tended to be in her childhood days, she offered to help the man find what he was looking for. They got to talking on the way to their destination and the man had admitted to her, though reluctantly, that he was an alcoholic and the craving for the liquid had followed him into his dying wake. That it was due to the alcohol that he crashed his car into the mountainside and instantly died.
“My wife had begged me to stop but… the drug was stronger. I tried to pace myself but I don’t think I could have gotten away from it completely. She left me a couple of years ago, probably the best decision she could have done. I’m not proud of the man I became when I was drunk but it was never enough for me to stop… well now I’m a dead man and I am still addicted to that bloody drink.”
Eun Yeong had been curious, she had after all, never spoken to an alcoholic before especially not a dead one. “But you won’t be able to hold the bottle or taste the drink, why would you look for something that you can’t have anyway? Wouldn’t it be better to walk in another direction and find the way across?”
The man had contemplated her words but ended up shaking his head, “Even if I walk away from this convenience store, there will be another on my way and then another. The world is full of places selling alcohol. And our culture indulges heavily in it, it’s part of every meeting and after work activity no matter what day of the week it is. They are basically serving alcohol problems to you on a silver platter. I’m not strong enough to walk away from that.” He had looked sad when admitting this and Eun Yeong didn’t want to make him sadder so she decided that it was best to steer clear of this subject.
Once they arrived at the store, Eun Yeong found the pay phone and called the Grim Reaper to pick up a lost soul, whilst the man in question stood in front of the cooler with the Soju, staring longingly.
So yes, ghosts had these urges that stayed like phantom pain after losing a limb. They craved the things they did when they were human and not giving them at least the chance of pretending seemed cruel and mean to her. she told Shin Dal as much but he only stayed silent.
It turned out that her office was in the private space that Shin Dal also occupied. She had a huge desk right at a large window overlooking the sky line. She would definitely not have to complain about her work place design. It was open and large and it surprised her after Eun Yeong witnessed the show boxes that the other staff had to stay in she had been worried about her own situation.
Shin Dal had his office right through the double doors to her right and that’s where he promptly disappeared to. The new manager was left with some paper work and most importantly the task of finding new staff that would be willing to stay and trying to change their bosses view on how to treat said staff regardless if they were dead or alive.
Notes:
So sorry for this long wait, after the concussion my brain tired easily and I couldn't write at all for the first week. When I originally started this chapter and got to 3000 words I realised that I was super frustrated with it because I didn't like it at all so I deleted the entire thing and started new which also took some time but I hope you like it. I know it's more of a set up chapter and since we are still in the beginning I want to make sure that I flush out my two mains and the side characters and this world out enough to really give a solid feeling for the pillars of this tale.
Thank you for your patience and please leave a comment if you think that Shin Dal is an asshole and needs labour laws :D
Chapter 4: Trembling
Notes:
Sorry for another delay but I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Text
Shin Dal woke up with a strange feeling. He wouldn’t have called it anxiety but for some reason he was strangely nervous. It wasn’t unusual for him to have certain emotions when he woke up, Shin Dal tended to dream and his dreams lingered and followed him into his waking day but tonight had been different. For once his dream was pleasant and yet… unease settled over him like a cloak.
Trying to shake those feelings off whilst getting ready was only somewhat successful. He ritualistically washed his face and then went to grab some fruits that his Soon Deok always prepared for him in the morning. Doing so reminded him of his new manager and all the things she had to say about his unorthodox working hours and conditions.
What did she say again? He couldn’t treat his own people like slaves…
Shin Dal tried to dismiss this notion but the more he tried to push the conversation away the more his mind thought about it. Was he treating his people badly? But they wanted to work for him and that was what work entailed. When he thought back to his childhood it was always work, his father kept him on the streets from day to night, it was all he had ever known…
Besides, his people weren’t really alive anyway. They hadn’t wanted to move on for one reason or the other and thus they needed to be employed by him to be able to stay in this world. Ghosts were low maintenance, that’s what the fates had told him, they don’t need food and they don’t need breaks. What for? They were dead people.
The whole conversation seemed bizarre to Shin Dal and he really hoped his new employee would keep herself from referencing things she didn’t understand.
Shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts once again, he went to the double doors that would allow him to access the elevator to the lobby which he took every morning to run some checks and make sure his guests were satisfied. He had opened the doors only a crack when he abruptly closed them again, his heart hammering.
What was she still doing here? Wasn’t her shift over by now?
He wasn’t used to having someone see him so early in the morning, he felt like there had been no time to gather his thoughts and calm his running mind down enough to face someone. Shin Dal felt… too vulnerable to face a person right now, especially a living one.
There was too much on his mind to be able to handle this interaction and in response his hands started to shake. He hated when his hands were shaking. It had always been a tell tale sign of his inner weakness, his father had told him as much on many occasions and even when he tried to hide it as best he could, it always showed in some other way like a small stutter in his speech that made him look less composed and more dubious. Which had also been a bad thing for the business.
Clenching his hands together and trying to focus on anything but the knowledge that a human being was on the other side of his door, he tried to calm his nerves.
No wonder he had been feeling unease when he woke up. Did a part of him feel Eun Yeong’s presence on the other side of the door? Was his body aware when she was around him? And most importantly, was this the doing of the fates?
He wouldn’t be surprised if those old hags had anything to do with all of this, they had it out for him since the very beginning.
He jumped suddenly when a knock came from the very door he had just closed and a feminine but deep voice carried through from one side to the other, “Are you alright?”
Damn it, she must have seen the door open and then close. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He wasn’t ready to face her and the awkwardness of her knowing that he had abruptly slammed the door shut when he saw her would probably make him keel over.
With a slight stutter in his voice, that Shin Dal resented, he called our, “N-no, A-all good.” Clenching his eyes shut from the internal turmoil he was going through, he tried to ignore his body response and put on a cool mask of indifference.
When he got like this as a child his father always reminded him that he was overreacting and making a scene and that he should simply stop doing that because it was bad for business, and Shin Dal tried to stop, tried to not feel this weird way when a lot of people were around or when he was caught off guard but it never seemed to be as simple as his father made it out to be.
Opening the door with still shaking hands was something he had to force himself to do, his self discipline kicking in. but he couldn’t help hiding them behind his back so she couldn’t see the shaking.
She was busy typing something on the computer but she looked up at the clicking sound the door made when he shut it behind him. There was no going back now.
A thing that confused him about his inability to face a social interaction was that it never seemed to be as awful as his mind had pictured it. He couldn’t really describe what he was afraid off or what he thought would happen, all he could account for is the bad feeling he got before one was going to happen. When he was actually having a conversation it never seemed as bad as he had expected and yet still… his mind seemed to never learn that and thus every time something like this would happened he would freak out.
One of the reasons as to why he was partially glad he got stuck with this job was because it gave him a long break of communicating with anyone alive and as long as he told himself that the dead people weren’t actual people that expected something from him, he could live with that. But he also suspected that this year in almost isolation had taken away from his ability to deal with this issue, if anything the discomfort only grew.
Eun Yeong must have gone back to looking at her computer screen because the sound of her typing made him look up from the floor, he hadn’t even noticed that he was avoiding her. But now that he was looking at her he noticed that she really had been here all night. Eun Yeong wore the same white and fetching ensemble that she arrived in yesterday, only her eyes looked tired and her lipstick had faded a bit.
Why was she still here?
Shin Dal would usually go to sleep at around 5 in the morning only to wake up late into the day. Today had been different, it was only 8 o’clock and that was unusually early for him. But she had been here from sunset until sunrise and then some. Was there so much work for her to do?
Almost as if hearing his thoughts Eun Yeong stopped typing and looked up again, his heart immediately sped up in the light of the conversation that he was sure he had to take part in, “I had to file some extra things and go through the records of the last year. Nothing too major but it takes time, I’ll be doing the rest tonight and am going home soon. If there is anything you want me to look into particularly then you can write me an e-mail or tell me when I’m back...” she shut down the computer and stood up, stretching her back and rolling her head from side to side.
She gave him a quick bow and made her way to the elevator which immediately opened for her, before it closed however, she had one last thing to say, “Oh I also put out some job descriptions that are now in the lobby in case any ghosts want to become personal, fates know we need them.” With that the elevator closed and she was gone, all without Shin Dal having said a single word.
And somehow he was left…. Disappointed.
The man that was currently sitting in front of Eun Yeong had greying hair and almost no teeth but that didn’t stop him from trying to communicate to her how much he would like to work for the hotel until he found his dog who had been separated from him due to his abrupt death.
She wasn’t really sure if he actually meant a dog since half of the things the man said came out as a barely heard mumble but based on his enthusiastic hand gestures she assumed it to be a dog or a largely grown cat. Looking over his files she saw that he had experience in catering and serving which would help Sang Tae at his barista job and could also potentially take away some of the work from Soon Deok.
Eun Yeong told him to wait for a business day for her and Shin Dal’s answer. The elderly man thanked her profoundly and left. She stacked his file on top of the other applicants. It had been a pleasant surprise to get twenty applications in only a week. Granted, while the people moved in and out of the hotel all the time, there was a lot of rotation which meant someone was bound to be interested in a job. But it was still a relief to see that they could gather quite a few.
Most were younger people, who died due to illnesses and accidents and thus felt the need to remain in this world a little longer. Eun Yeong assumed that most of them would be ready to move on in six months, maybe more maybe less, but that was enough time to create a strong base which she can then found the next staff off.
That is if Shin Dal approved them…
He had been running cold with her ever since she started here a week ago. Sometimes she felt like he wanted to talk to her or say something only for him to then withdraw quickly but she assumed that it wasn’t too bad due to him not interrupting which allowed her to perform her job efficiently and to the best of her abilities. And yet… it nagged at her that he wasn’t more present- more interested in what his manager was doing. She knew that this wasn’t his establishment per se, it belonged it the fates or whatever entity ran this world but she still felt like he should be more involved. Otherwise what was he even here for?
Sometimes she caught him watching her when she was in the lobby or moving around in the hotel. He would be there one moment and then gone the next. It unnerved her.
Eun Yeong couldn’t quite figure out what the fates had in mind for her and the elusive Shin Dal but if this was it then… they had loth their touch.
The young woman was walking towards the ‘pool’ area, which was –as it would be in a magical hotel for ghosts to relax- a huge beach with an ocean one could swim in for infinity. The horizon did not seem to stop the, where there should be a wall there was nothing but blue sky and rolling waves. The beach was covered in sand as a classic beach from the movies would be. The sun chairs were spread out for guests to use and to lounge in. There was a bar as well but due to the shortness of staff no one was currently occupying the spot, the guests had to get their drinks from Sang Tae inside and then bring them here.
A nuisance that Eun Yeong was hoping to cure with the next interview that she was bout to have. A young woman named Ah Reum had handed in her resume and to Eun Yeong’s delight she had a background in bar tendering. She was told that the guest was currently jogging along the shore of the beach and Eun Yeong immediately spotted her when she came closer to where the water hit the waves.
Mainly because no one else was doing much but sleeping off a hangover or enjoying the sun, some guests were playing in the sand, only Ah Reum seemed to be occupied with working out. She waved at the young woman who had spotted Eun Yeong quickly, her button down powder blue dress and her hair in a neat ponytail made her stand out from the other occupants of the beach. A picture of elegance.
Eun Yeong’s mother always told her that ones appearance was the most important part of a lie. That was how her father could get away with what he had done and that’s how he had never been found out. He appeared as a good citizen, mediocre at best and simple at worst, it had been perfect to not draw attention. So Eun Yeong had decided that in order for people to believe that she was professional and had her life together she would have to come over as put together in her appearance.
Ah Reum jogged up to Eun Yeong then, ripping her out of her reverie about her mother and the past. Her eyes focused on the younger woman and she gave her a friendly smile and a small bow in greeting which the other woman returned.
“I’m here to pick you up for the job interview if this is a good time for you of course.” The ghosts were still a number one priority as guests and thus Eun Yeong had to make sure that Ah Reum felt comfortable at all time, even when she was conducting a job interview.
To her delight Ah Reum nodded and gave her a grateful smile. Eun Yeong gestured for them to walk along the beach, this was going to be informal anyway since Eun Yeong was 100% sure that Ah Reum would join their staff. No matter what Shin Dal had to say on the matter.
The two women walked side by side exchanging pleasantries before getting into the job description.
“So you have worked at several bars before…” you died- wasn’t really the best way to end a sentence but Ah Reum only smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I actually met my late husband working at the bar, he always came in and at first I thought it was because he wanted to see me but then it turned out that after we were married he still continued to go back and that’s when I realised he was never there for me but for the alcohol.”
O-kay… Eun Yeong never really knew how to react to the ghosts’ stories. Some were incredibly tragic and some were… well some just died of old age but it was still strange due to the lack of response one could give. Some ghosts spoke a lot about their passing and some never mention it at all. It was always different, Eun Yeong learned that when she was younger but it still didn’t make it any easier for her.
“You would be working with alcohol here as well… is that a problem for you since that couldn’t have been easy.” The other woman was already shaking her head and waving her hand in dismissal.
“I don’t mind working with alcohol at all, it’s fine by me. No one can get drunk here anyway and even if then I could handle myself…” There was a slight hesitation in her eyes that prompted Eun Yeong to say.
“You wouldn’t have to, I would make sure that nothing happened that would make you uncomfortable or at least try to keep you away. If anything I would like you to handle the bar at the beach anyway, that is a more relaxed atmosphere anyway.” She pointed to the small lonesome bar that was standing in the middle of the sand.
Ah Reum looked over and then made a satisfied noise in the back of her throat, “Yes that works well, I love the beach the most anyway.”
“Perfect then let me get back to you tomorrow and you could start your shift in two days when we have things figured out.”
“Thank you so much for this miss Seong, I really had hoped to stay here a little longer.” Eun Yeong smiled at the younger woman and watched her jog away. Hopefully she wouldn’t come to regret agreeing to work with Shin Dal.
It was around ten o’clock in the morning when the office doors opened… and then abruptly shut again. He kept on doing this, as if he didn’t expect her there and then got scared of coming out of his room. What did he think she would do? Scold him?
Granted… she might if he continued to avoid her like that but she wouldn’t let him get away with it today. Shin Dal had to give his approval of the new employees. There were 23 applications in total and and they needed every single one of them to help out. It wasn’t near enough to cover all the jobs but it was a good start to help their three musketeers in handling the 24/7 stress that they were in.
After a small pause Eun Yeong decided to get up and nock on his door, clearing her throat she made an effort to sound pleasant and calm, “Mr. Shin Dal… I need you to come out and look over the new applicants with me so we can decide on where to put them and what jobs they would fit to best.”
A long pause followed. Long enough for Eun Yeong to think that he either hadn’t heard her or was purposefully ignoring her. she huffed out a long breath and was about to nock again when the door abruptly opened and the man himself strode out. Suit on and vest buttoned up. He walked to her desk and looked at the files of paper and then back at her.
Well that was her cue to begin.
One after the other she introduced the new employee and what she had in mind for the them. Shin Dal himself never said a word in this process, he just sat there and nodded in affirmation. It took them a good junk of an hour to get through the applicants, half way through she had noticed that he had relaxed a bit in the shoulders and was concentrating more on what she had to say rather then just looking at the files blankly.
After a couple more passed he had started to give his input as well and Eun Yeong’s mood greatly lifted. While she wasn’t used to working with anyone closely, the feedback of her boss or her partner had always been something she had strived to have and once he seemed to be okay in giving her that it was also easier for her to allow herself to relax.
They both decided that Ah Reum would go to the bar at the beach, she had informed him that her husband had an alcohol issue but she assured him that the young woman was adamant to pull this off. He had nodded and said, “S-she wouldn’t have to deal with a lot of guests at the beach anyway. Some of them prefer smaller areas and places. The beach seems to suit her best.”
Eun Yeong nodded enthusiastically, “that’s what I thought so as well.” She had smiled at him widely and for a second he seemed to almost be shocked by her response to his input but he caught himself again and they continued to discuss. There was an elderly guest named Oh Ji Wang who had been running a hospital, him and his son Cha Young, had died in a car crash after fighting and now father and son wanted to stay long enough to make sure Ji Wangs wife was okay and to spend some time together since they felt that all they had ever done was fight with each other when they were alive.
Shin Dal had nodded to that story, “they could help Soon Deok out around the hotel by taking care of guests that needed medical attention or just psychological one. Since one of them worked in the hospital and the other was a becoming a nurse.”
She had nodded at that again, that was something she would have proposed as well. Some ghosts needed counselling sessions due to the trauma of dying and to help them work through the emotions of loss that they experience when it happened abruptly. But there was something she still had to address with her aloof boss.
“Mr. Shin Dal… in order for them to be able to spend time with each other they would need to have some… free time as well. You do realise that, right?”
He stared at her blankly, just like she had dreaded, “What do you mean? They can spend time talking and such whilst they work.”
Eun Yong shook her head in frustration, “No, they need to have working hours and free time in order to be productive and have a relationship with each other-“
“We aren’t here to cultivate family relations but to take care of the ghosts that want to move on to the afterlife. The employees don’t need a work life balance since they are not alive and thus don’t need anything.”
She abruptly sat up strait in her chair and looked at her boss intently, “Who has told you this? Because it seems like you are incredibly aware of the fact that the guests, who are ghosts by the way, need care in the physical and mental department but your employees who are also ghosts, seem to not need the same thing even though they are the same thing. Have you ever had a long conversation with one of your employees or a ghost for that matter?”
Shin Dal’s eyes flitted all over her face, as if not quite sure where this outbreak came from, as if looking for anything that he can hold on to to guide him in his next words. “Well the fates had told me-“
“The fates aren’t ghosts, they don’t interact with people at all except for us and some lucky or unlucky souls. They don’t get to tell you how to treat something they don’t even know. In order to not just understand your employees and most importantly, the needs of your guests you have to talk to them. Understand what they have been through and adjust your services accordingly. I know you are knew to this and this took Man Wol a long time as well to perfection but the services you provide aren’t good enough right now. Something has to chang-“
Eun Yeong abruptly stopped her rant when she noticed that Shin Dal had grabbed the arm rests of his chair tightly and wouldn’t let go. As if he was on a roller-coaster that he was terrified of. She looked at him intently but he was avoiding her gaze like the plague. Trying to look anywhere but at her, his face had twisted into something acing to pain and she didn’t know why.
“What’s wrong? Are you having a medical incident?” She had asked confused but the man opposite of her only shook his head. “what’s going on?”
“I-I-I’d app- appreciate… n-n-n-oo ye-lling.” He was stuttering and that’s also when she noticed that he wasn’t in pain at all but he was trying to keep his hands from trembling violently. Before she could even begin to think about what to do with this abrupt change of events Shin Dal had gotten up and stormed out of the room. Slamming the doors behind him tightly shut.
Chapter 5: What it means to live
Notes:
My University is starting again next week so I don't know if I'll have time to update, I will definitely try. Just so you know that I am still very much writing this story, I'll just have a lot of adjusting to do in the first weeks back, you know how it goes.
Enjoy this chapter.
Chapter Text
Shin Dal shut the door tightly behind him, hands still shaking.
He knew that this reaction won’t be the worst of it, the worst is going to be facing her again after. When he had fully calmed down and seemed normal again. When he would have to look his manager in the eye and pretend that he knew what had just happened and possibly give an explanation of why, one he did not have.
It wasn’t the fact that she had raised her voice an octave, Shin Dal was aware that she didn’t yell at her boss, nor did she speak out of turn. It wasn’t the volume that unsettled him. It was the intensity with which she spoke. Eun Yeong seemed to be passionate about this topic, something that would be fine if she wasn’t also so frustrated with him not being passionate about it. He wasn’t too proud to admit that he still didn’t really understand the exact angle she was coming from.
His workers were dead… they shouldn’t be desiring anything and yet… didn’t he make sure that Ah Reum worked at the beach so her past wouldn’t come to haunt her?
Now he was confused.
Yes, his people were dead, then why would he make sure that one of his new employees didn’t get tangled up in her past?
Was fearing what happened before one died the same as having needs and wants after one died? He would have to speak with his manager about this since she seemed to be more versed on this topic, she had after all, a lot more experiences with ghosts then he did. Probably another thing he had to at some point address. Her ability to see ghosts from a young age on was peculiar to say the least.
But he couldn’t go out right now. Not with his hands still shaking and not when he wasn’t sure that his stupid stutter wouldn’t come back. Of all the things that happened to him when he got like this, Shin Dal hated his stutter the most. It always made him feel small, like he was a child that couldn’t stand up for himself properly. His father, when he felt cruel, would mock him when it happened and it always made the stuttering even worse because the added emotion of anger and hurt would only amp up the effects of whatever was going on with him.
So he decided to wait in his room, maybe he would try to come up with an explanation of why he reacted this way and tell her about it tomorrow.
Shin Dal walked to the seats by the window and poured himself a thumb of whisky. To calm his thrumming nerves, he was just about to sit down when he heard a quiet nock at his door and a timid voice stating,
“I’m coming in.”
No one, especially not the guests and servants but also not the fates, had ever dared to come into his room. Shin Dal had always met with people outside of the office space and his private residence. Eun Yeong had occupied that weird strip that was the in-between, the place that wasn’t quite hotel but also not really only his. She had sat right in front of his door working and living. In a hotel for the dead, with a manger that might not be dead but he wasn’t truly alive either.
The young hotel owner just had enough time to stand up before the door opened a crack and her face poked inside. He brushed his hands down his pants to keep them from fidgeting too much. He waited for the questions to come.
They always did, what’s the matter with you? Why are you acting like this? I didn’t do anything to upset you that much!
But the room stayed silent. She just kept standing in the door peering at him from her hooded eyes. Shin Dal never quite noticed how pretty her eyes were. He noticed that she was very pleasing for him to look at but he never took the time to study her features separately. He stared into them for a while and she stared back, studying his face. He wondered what she could find.
Whatever she had been looking for must have shown because all of a sudden she was moving towards him, slowly closing the door behind her and then making her way to the table and the lounge chairs that he was standing in front of. She did everything carefully, as if she didn’t want to spook a frightened animal and once she stood before him she lifted her head and…
Apologised?
That threw him off. Usually he was made to apologise after an episode like that but she seemed to have other ideas.
“I don’t know what just happened out there but… I whatever I said must have upset you and for that I am sorry. I know I can be a bit abrupt and maybe rude at times but I have the good intentions. I didn’t come here to antagonise you or upset you. I just wanted to talk about the employee situation…” she let her voice fade clearly uncertain of what it was she wanted to say next.
Maybe waiting for him to help her out. Pick up the conversation from here but Shin Dal was too stunned to find any words. He was back to looking at her. This time not just her eyes but her nose and lips, cheekbones and ears, which he noted were tinted pink in embarrassment? Shame? He couldn’t tell.
He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to feel guilty, that he understood that what she said wasn’t intended to be malicious or rude towards him. That Eun Yeong just really wanted the dead to feel good in his hotel and you could only do that when the employees felt good too. But he was too stunned to speak. His father had little to no understanding for his situation or his ‘attacks’ and when he met other people he would try hard to not let them get out.
This year of solitude clearly robbed him of some essential social skills that he had brutally worked for whilst he was still in the mortal world.
Deciding that words wouldn’t come to him right now he gestured for her to sit down which she gratefully did and he poured her a thumb of the same whisky that he was enjoying at the moment. They sat in silence for a long time, watching the people pass the road underneath them and seeing the headlights of cars and busses go past on their way home- no to work? Was it morning or evening?
Shin Dal had trouble keeping day and night apart. For him both just blurred into one. He slept when he felt like it was time to sleep and worked the rest of the time he wasn’t in bed. The longer he stayed at the hotel the thinner the line got between the two time zones.
“I don’t know what that was.” It took him a full five seconds to realise that he had spoken without actually meaning to. And he didn’t stop there, “I- I don’t really know ho- how to explain it-t.” closing his mouth and taking a deep breath to keep the stuttering at bay, he gave himself a few moments to really focus on his words. Someone had once told him that when his stuttering came that he should visualise the words he was trying to say. To feel them, the curves and the shape of them. Were they angular or round? What would they feel like on his tong and on paper? Focus on the words and then caress them with your lips and tong.
It took him some time and a lot of practice for the technique to have an effect but he had to admit that it had worked in the past. He hadn’t used it in a while and thus it felt like using a rusty machine that needed oiling. But it still worked, it only took longer.
Eun Yeong however, seemed to have infinite patience, she looked at him curiously but seemingly felt that he needed time to gather himself and thus let him be. The gratitude that came over him was almost stifling. He would remember this kindness of hers.
With a deep breath he tried to let the words pass over his lips, feeling it like he had practiced, “When I was little this used to happen more often… but as I grew older I found a way to deal with it. I guess the hotel has taken some things from me that I didn’t notice I would need at some point again. I too apologise, that must have startled you.” He fell quiet again and Eun Yeong looked at him intently.
She didn’t say anything more and neither did he, both silently sipping at their whisky.
Until…
“I don’t want to overstep but have you ever gone to the doctor for this? Or at least had it checked out by professionals just so you know about it better?” He looked away from the streets bellow and at Eun Yeong who was rubbing her index fingers over one another. A nervous tick that he had seen her due only a hand full of times. She had pretty hands he noted.
Then as if to rid his mind of the thought he shook his head only for Eun Yeong to hum in understanding. His subconscious action had also served as an answer to her question.
The rubbing intensified, “Ummm…. Would you like to get it checked out? It seems like this is something you should know about, not just for social skills but mainly for yourself so you at least can know why this happens.”
Her eyes were looking at his, first the left then the right, in rapid succession, making her look like a nervous rabbit.
Shin Dal would lie if he said he didn’t think about this, more before he came to the hotel. Of getting himself checked out and finding some answers. But he would have never dreamed of it when his father was still around and after he had learned to deal with it he never saw the urgency of going to the doctor and finding answers. However, she might be right this time. If he was totally honest another reason why he didn’t go so far was because he was afraid. Afraid of hearing that he was damaged and that he couldn’t be helped. What if it was something he had to be embarrassed for? He wouldn’t want that. Or worse… what if he actually had to do something substantial after getting a diagnosis? He didn’t want to talk to a therapist and he didn’t have the time to deal with his short comings, they just had to be pushed into a corner to be forgotten. That’s what they deserved.
“There is no time for that. You said yourself that we had a lot to fix around here and I will manage. You are the only person I have to interact with anyway and the more I get used to you the less of a problem this will be.” He gave her a reassuring node but she didn’t seem convinced at all. Brows slightly furrowed and lips turned down. She was obviously not pleased with his answer but he was her boss and she had overstepped enough already so Eun Yeong seemed to drop the subject entirely.
Shin Dal watched her tilt her head down to look at her now empty whisky glass and that’s when he saw the dark circles under her eyes and he remembered all the hours she had already spent at this hotel. All the nights she had worked and all the days that she had stayed to figure out the finances and the employees. He could feel his brow furrow and before he could help it he asked,
“Do you ever sleep? I think I’ve never seen you go home and if then only for a few hours at a time.”
Her eyes shot back to his and Eun Yeong seemed to be surprised by something. Did she think he hadn’t noticed whenever she was around? He always knew when she was in front of his door, typing away or when she was anywhere within the hotel. Usually he could only ever feel the fates move in and out and the ghosts but it seemed that his ability worked with her as well or better said; he always knew where anyone was in the hotel but with her… he couldn’t really explain it but he felt her in a special way. He could probably blame the fates for this.
“I don’t sleep a lot.” Came her quiet replay, he watched her fiddle with her hands again. “Day and Night don’t really mean a lot to me, not since…” he wanted to ask her what she had wanted to say but she seemed to be drifting off into a distant memory and before he could snap her out of it he was ripped right along with her.
It was cold, why was it always so cold when this happened?
Shin Dal could see a house in the middle of nowhere, the trees were covered in snow and the branches were hanging down due to the fat sheet that was sitting on them. There was a lake too. Hard with ice and it was quiet. So serene that Shin Dal was sure that this was what peace felt like. No birds sang and no animals moved, there was no sound at all like… like nature was holding it’s breath. But for what?
That’s when he got his answer, because Shin Dal could here a gun shot go off and then the world fell silent again and he snapped back into reality.
He blinked twice before he could discern what just occurred and where he was.
What the hell had just happened? What did he just see?
Looking up at Eun Yeong for answers was his first instinct because surly this had something to do with her and not him, that felt like her memory, right? He couldn’t recall ever witnessing something like this. Right?
Right?
Eun Yeong’s eyes slowly refocused and then found him, she seemed way calmer then he felt.
“You saw that right?” her voice sounded dead to him and it startled him so much that he forgot to answer but that seemed to be answer enough for her because she nodded her head slowly and then shook it as if annoyed.
“Probably have to talk to the fates about that. I believe we are done for today so I will bid you good night or good day, whatever time it is.” She got up and gave him a respectful bow and was out the door all before he could even fathom a response to anything that just happened.
Two weeks had past since the incident and Shin Dal hadn’t brought it up and neither would she. It seemed to be an unspoken pact between her and her sometimes distant boss. The employment of the new staff was going along well and she had now enough people in rotation that small breaks could be allowed between the working hours.
Eun Yeong was getting used to the hotel and the hotel was getting used to her, or so it seemed. It was an interesting thing, working in a hotel that was full of mystical power. Not only was it connected to the moon and its spirits, thus coming alive when the sun set but it also seemed to be very connected to the owner.
Sometimes it felt like this huge structure breathed in tandem to her boss. It had mood swings in tandem with her boss and felt content as well. The lights sometimes dimmed when he was frustrated or agitated and the ocean inside the hotel would become wild with huge waves crashing onto the sand t the shore when things didn’t go quite his way. It wasn’t enough of a response to upset the guests, in fact Eun Yeong wasn’t sure if anyone even noticed the subtle mood changes of the hotel but her.
There were days where she thought the hotel was specifically showing Shin Dal’s displeasure to her so she could go and check up on him. It was signalling his inner emotions to the people within it’s residence but so far only Eun Yeong seemed to pick up on this.
Today was such a day. The ocean was wilder then normal and every corner she turned to the lights were flickering in uncertainty. Something must be on his mind. Which prompted her to make her way to the upper floor where her office lay and her boss resided. Making her way quickly out of the elevator when the tell tale ding told her that their destination has arrived.
It only took her a few strides to get to his door and her fist was ready to nock when the door abruptly opened and she almost slammed her fist into her Shin Dal’s chest. Eun Yeong just barely stopped herself from doing so and when she looked up at the taller mans face he seemed as confused that she was there as she was that he had opened the door so quickly.
“What are you doing here?” his voice sounded unsure and a bit harsher then usual. Shin Dal wasn’t a very gentle person when it came to speaking, more abrupt and to the point but once a person got used to his course way of communicating it just became normal. Now on the other hand he seemed curter than she had ever heard him to be.
She instinctively took a step back and lowered her hand slowly, “I-“ how should she explain to him that the hotel had been signalling his mood all the way down to the lobby where the guests were enjoying a respite?
Before she could come up with anything to say or explain he was already on the move, brushing past her and into the elevator. Once inside he looked up and gave her an expectant look, “Aren’t you coming?”
“Are we going somewhere?”
The elevator doors were closing and Shin Dal had to thrust his hand in between them to stop their movement, “Yes we have to find a wayward ghost, the fates have informed me that there is one in the art museum wandering around since two weeks, looking at paintings and freaking out the guests by moving stuff around.”
Eun Yeong made her way into the elevator as well. Her spirits definitely lifted. These kind of field works were always her favourite thing and she couldn’t do them often enough. She had always liked talking to ghosts, not all of them but enough of them, so being able to help souls pass on into the hotel and then the afterlife had definitely affected her decision of starting to work for Blue Moon.
Quickly bidding Ki Do a good day while they made their way outside, a sentiment not shared by Shin Dal who promptly ignored the young mans very existence, Shin Dal’s car had been delivered to the front by one of the staff and they got into a very luxurious car.
“Why do you think the fates contacted us about this? It isn’t like ghosts don’t take their sweet time when it comes to finding the hotel.” She looked over to her left and found Shin Dal frowning. The expression oddly suited him.
“I think they are worried that the ghost might become corrupted, there is an evil spirit in the museum and if the ghosts comes into contact with them then we’ll have a bigger problem.”
Eun Yeong froze, ghosts were fine, harmless, but evil spirits… that was dangerous business especially for a human being. They could hurt or even kill her if they came to close and did enough damage. Her hands started to fidget and her nerves seemed to have set her entire body alight. She was exited before but now the apprehension seeped into her bones and made her stiff but not stable.
All of a sudden she felt a large warm hand over her nervous ones and she looked up. shin Dal and her did not touch, mainly because they were professionals and he was her boss and they had no reason too and secondly because usually when they did some weird third eye would open within them and show him glimpses of her past. Now on the other hand there were no images flitting over her inner eye or the special feelings that came with memory. There was only his hand holding onto hers. It seemed like they were crossing a line.
Shin Dal seemed to realise and took his hand away again slowly, subconsciously flexing it before putting it back on the wheel. He cleared his throat before speaking in a slow and calming manner, “Don’t worry, I’ll be there to make sure nothing happens, the evil spirit might not even be active today.”
She nodded her head but her worries didn’t dissipate completely and neither did the feeling of warmth in her hands.
They found the ghost quickly, he was lurking around a painting of a tall mountain set in North Korea named Bek Du San. A beautiful painting of nature, Eun Yeong wasn’t surprised that the ghost was drawn to it.
The man seemed to be in his late 50s and had a big belly with no hair on his head. They watched him stand there for a while, waiting for the crowd to thin out so they could have a conversation with him. Since it was the middle of the week there weren’t a lot of people and thus it only took a couple of minutes for the room be cleared enough. It was also good that people saw both her and Shin Dal so if worse came to worse they could pretend to hold a conversation, if not an odd one.
Approaching the ghost slowly the struck up conversation. It turned out he was an art professor but never got to see this painting when he was alive. He wasn’t very successful at art so he became a teacher of it which would take up so much time that he barely ever had the energy to do anything but lie around on his off days. He told them that he regretted not going out more, always working was what drove him into an early grave. Shin Dal and her told him about the hotel where he could paint and find inspiration for as long as he wanted before moving on. The man told them in return that he felt the tug towards the place but couldn’t quit looking at the picture. They told him that he could stay as long as he wanted but with them there since there were other things in the museum that might hurt him.
It took another two hours of waiting for him in which Shin Dal went off to buy them sandwiches and something to drink. They sat there staring at the ghosts whilst eating their food and Eun Yeong thought of how her life had been revolving around work too and if she would regret this later on as well. Glancing at Shin Dal she decided to share her thoughts, “Do you ever worry that all this work will cause you to forget?”
He looked away from the ghost and at her with a thoughtful expression, “Forget what?”
Eun Yeong shrugged, “How to live, how to enjoy things, how to have fun.”
He contemplated her question for another moment, “It’s all I’ve ever known, working is all a lot of people ever know but now that you say it- I think I’ve lost not only some of my social skills but also forgot what fun is or what it feels like to be outside with a friend and just sit around.” He laughed then and she looked at him curiously, seeing her face he smiled, “This might sound pathetic but, this here, sitting around an art museum and waiting for a ghost to come back with us, this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” He shook his head and continued.
“Even though we did nothing, just getting out of Blue Moon and seeing other people live around me. That- it just makes me feel good. It’s embarrassing really.” But she was already shaking her head vehemently because Eun Yeong understood exactly what he meant by that. When was the last time she had a day off and just sat around a park or a museum and watched other people? Even if it was something so simple, it made one feel good.
“I totally agree with you, this is fun.” Something in her voice or her facial expression must have convinced him that she was sincere and his smile only grew and Eun Yeong thought that a smile suited him even better then a frown.
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veturdraugur on Chapter 2 Sat 05 Mar 2022 06:29PM UTC
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