My heart sank. Just moments ago I’d thought “I survived,” but now “I’m fucked” rose up to my throat.
I stammered with a completely stiffened face.
“I, I don’t… have any money right now?”
As Gilbert approached closer, I could see the corners of his mouth slowly curling up beneath his beard.
“Then you’ll have to pay with your body.”
“…!”
I’m really fucked.
“Pay with my… body?”
I forced the words out, but my lips trembled. I hadn’t expected warmth like in Korea, but to be so blatantly saddled with this burden. And of all things, my “body”? What did that bearded guy intend to do with my body?
I crossed both arms in an X and stepped backward. Then Gilbert snorted and said.
“So you were trying to mooch a free meal? Where does that exist in these war times?”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong. No matter how clearly the boundary was divided, this world was definitely at war. When even securing one’s own meal was difficult, hoping for free food might be shameless.
Well. The world I lived in was the same.
Both the background of being a divided nation in ceasefire and the harsh reality.
The saying that Koreans were warm-hearted was outdated, and working only part-time jobs, I’d learned one thing to the bone. Society was full of employers who would somehow cut minimum wage, chop up work hours to avoid weekly holiday allowances, and fire you before completing a year to avoid severance pay. I’d desperately held on to avoid being wronged, but even after possessing someone, it wasn’t different in the end.
The world is originally like that. Those who have can afford leisure, but people living day by day are always tight. Even if it’s harsh, it can’t be helped.
But where did this sadness come from? Even though I’d already realized this fact long ago, tears suddenly welled up. Indignation rose to my throat and I barely muttered while swallowing my breath.
“…I thought you were just giving it to me.”
I’m not usually this sentimental. The fact that even after suddenly falling into an unfamiliar world, my circumstances hadn’t changed at all in the end—that hurt. Whether in Korea or here, I seemed unable to escape always being in a position of receiving handouts.
When my eyes grew moist, Gilbert paused for a moment, then reached out his large hand to tousle my fluffy hair and muttered.
“Who said I’d eat you up? I’m just saying this since the clothes fit perfectly.”
“…?”
What I was wearing was an apron stained with grease. Gilbert casually touched the edge of the apron with his finger and said.
“Work here, you.”
“…What?”
I was dumbfounded for a moment. An innkeeper telling me to work part-time at an inn. Is there another contradiction like this in the world?
“Can’t I just, you know… consider it borrowed?”
“If you borrowed it, you have to pay it back. Where’s anything free in this world?”
Gilbert glanced at me and slightly raised the corner of his mouth. Even though his smile was completely hidden by his beard, he somehow looked crafty.
“Don’t worry. You just need to do cleaning, serving and such. All the other guys ran away anyway, so we’re short-handed.”
“They ran away?”
“Because demon appearances are frequent.”
At his calm voice, cold sweat trickled down my spine. Trying hard to suppress my anxiety, I looked around, and when I looked again, I noticed the dust piled white on the tables and stains stuck here and there on the floor. The porridge I ate earlier was delicious, but the hygiene condition of the dishes was a mess to serve to customers.
“…I also, have my own inn, you know?”
When I carefully protested, Gilbert opened his eyes wide as if surprised and asked.
“Where?”
“Over there, toward the Boundary Line.”
“The Boundary Line?”
Gilbert scratched his head as if lost in thought for a moment. His gaze fumbling through the air showed he was recalling something.
“Now that you mention it, there was something on the Boundary Line. But even if it exists, it’s a ruin, isn’t it?”
He hit the nail on the head. It was an old house that deserved to be called a ruin. But even so, it was now my only asset! Indignation welled up and I shouted without realizing it.
“Even so! Why should an innkeeper have to work part-time at another inn!”
Gilbert casually snorted and spat out one sentence.
“Then pay the money.”
“……”
When I shut my mouth like a mute who’d eaten honey, Gilbert smirked, then scratched his chin with his thick hand.
“That’s how the world is. Innkeeper or whatever, if you don’t have money, you work part-time, kid.”
“……”
I was convinced.
I’d been living a life working three part-time jobs until just moments ago.
When Gilbert saw me showing signs of acceptance, he poured out instructions as if things had worked out well—do this, do that. Still, I had several years of part-time experience. When my hands moved efficiently, Gilbert showed a surprised look. That reaction was somehow annoying, so I deliberately made mistakes too.
Part-time work shouldn’t be too competent either. If they think you can do everything alone, they won’t hire people and make you do three people’s work by yourself. I’d already experienced too many employers who did such things with the kindest faces in the world.
“But kid, you’re the owner there?”
At his suspicious gaze, I answered as if somewhat guilty.
“Yes. But I’m not a kid, you know? I’m twenty-four.”
Gilbert’s eyes widened again. Of course, I didn’t see it accurately—I just guessed from seeing his bushy eyebrows shoot up between his shaggy hair.
And somehow that expression made me bitter. Was it because I didn’t eat well growing up, or because I always yielded to the younger kids at the orphanage? I was small in stature. Even during puberty, my height barely exceeded average, and even now I was just a bit above average but equally thin.
I didn’t know what people’s builds were like in this world, but if Gilbert was built like a mountain, and others were roughly similar, I would definitely be on the small side.
Holding a rag and rubbing the floor, I suddenly felt choked up inside.
Other people possess into books and become kings or nobles, so why am I an innkeeper? At least change my build a bit. Put on some muscle.
I rubbed the rag harder for no reason.
Or at least my height… can’t I just be half a span taller?
As I was scrubbing the table, Gilbert suddenly asked.
“Now that I think about it, why were you trying to crawl into the demon forest earlier?”
“Normally, one side is wasteland and if one side is forest, you’d naturally go to the forest. I thought the forest path led to the village.”
“Didn’t you receive even basic education?”
That big bearded guy sneakily pokes at people’s sore spots. I slapped the rag I was holding onto the table and retorted.
“Ugh, then what amazing education did ahjussi receive? And why do you keep calling me kid! It’s Sion, Sion!”
It wasn’t like I asked for the porridge, but I felt wronged for ending up working unfairly after accepting it, and on top of that, that bearded guy scraped at people’s insides with every word he bluntly spat out.
I was already irritated, so I couldn’t help but get annoyed.
When I finally couldn’t hold back and snapped sharply, Gilbert paused for a moment, then scratched his beard with his large hand.
“No, well… isn’t it common knowledge that place is a demon forest?”
“……”
My face flushed for no reason. Is my complex about not going to college catching me by the ankle even here? My stomach burned and I whipped my head around, when Gilbert suddenly tousled my hair and muttered.
“Who’s saying what? Not being educated is the same for me too. Originally, education is something only those above receive.”
“……”
So it’s a world that runs on money here too. Talent is just a curse without money, and it’s a world where those with money can freely display their studies and abilities.
Why is this aspect so realistic too? If it’s possession into a novel, shouldn’t it overflow with dreams and hope?
But I know. No matter how good a place I’d possessed into, I would still be a shabby extra there, not a shining protagonist.
I pressed my lips tightly shut and changed the subject for no reason.
“Then why did ahjussi go in there?”
“There’s a mushroom that only grows there. The broth made from it is amazing. Customers come back for that taste.”
“…Then why did you bring a frying pan?”
“Freshly picked ones taste best when grilled on the spot. That’s why I brought it.”
I snorted at those words and whipped my head around, but Gilbert’s voice came from behind.
“And what’s with ahjussi? You should call me boss.”
“If you don’t call me kid.”
Gilbert snorted just like I had and spat out lowly.
“Huh, for a brat, your mouth sure is disgustingly alive.”
Originally, if you work part-time for a long time, your tongue gets sharper. I’ve been in service jobs for years, and dealing with difficult customers makes all sorts of words pop out.
Mopping the floor and wiping tables, before I knew it, the day had grown dark. I finally put down the rag and gathered my things, preparing to return to the inn where I’d opened my eyes.
That’s when Gilbert suddenly asked.
“Do you live alone at the inn?”
“Yes.”
“What were you doing living there, someone who doesn’t even know about the demon forest?”
“…When I opened my eyes, I’d lost some memories.”
Gilbert stared at me quietly. Though his expression wasn’t properly visible, covered by his beard and hair, a pitying energy emanated from him.
“If you don’t even know about the demon forest, didn’t you forget all basic common sense too?”
“…Yeah, well.”
“Hmm…”
Gilbert, who had been stroking his long beard, spoke as if reaching a conclusion.
“Work here for the time being.”
“What?”
“I’ll provide room and board, and pay you a proper daily wage too. You don’t even know how the world works, right? What are you going to do at that ruin on the Boundary Line? You’d be lucky not to become demon food.”
