The Next Life (?? ?? ???)

The Last Time

I looked around the small lobby for a moment. It looked almost identical to the one in the old iteration of the hotel, where I'd met its previous owner. "Er, I was told to look for... Room 77?"

A look of realisation washed over the bellboy's face. "You must be Jang Y/N, correct?" I nodded, a little taken aback. "Excellent. Come this way, sir."

The bellboy came around from behind the desk and gestured towards the single elevator. I followed his lead and stepped into the elevator compartment of the hotel for the dead for the first time. Once we were both inside, the metal grill slid shut on its own accord and we started to descend.

"So, er, who's the new owner of the hotel?" I asked, not wanting to be stuck in an awkward silence, and seizing the chance to get more information.

The bellboy winced. "Boss is super secretive about revealing himself. I heard he was a Korean immigrant in Japan and became a Yakuza boss... and I wasn't supposed to tell you that."

"Someone like that, and he still managed to become the owner of this hotel?" I raised an eyebrow at him. In return, he gave me a look like I was a child who knew little of the world.

"Mago handpicked him herself. Apparently he's committed crimes as heinous as Jang Manwol before him, if not more." His face then shifted as he realised he'd slipped again. "I need to stop talking. I've only been dead for a couple of months, so I'm still new to this job. I can't lose it."

I barely paid the last part any mind, still stuck on what he'd said before. "What do you mean by Manwol's crimes? What did she do?"

My questions were met with silence, which thankfully didn't last too long. No sooner had I asked when the elevator slowed to a stop. The metal grille slid open, and the bellboy gestured for me to step out. And as I did, I felt my jaw physically drop.

The tiny lobby from earlier seemed to be just a front, because stepping into the hotel's actual lobby was like entering a palace ballroom. The ceiling stretched further than I could see, chandeliers hanging from seemingly nothing, bathing the expansive room in a mixture of yellowish-white and pale blues. The floor tiles were glossy and looked as though laminated with crystal.

People who I assumed were guests went about their business, filling the air with a low ambience of chatter and clinks and scuffs. Though they were most definitely ghosts, I couldn't see a bluish tinge, nor could I feel a drop in temperature. It looked just like any other hotel, albeit a super high end one. I watched as one guest, a woman with hair that went down to her knees, spoke animatedly to another, a woman with bobbed hair, as they sat on two of the many lavish looking couches which were placed along the length of the lobby. Three people dressed in black and white, who looked to be hotel staff, walked in unison, carrying metal trays with several empty glasses and plates.

"It's the same for everyone, their first time here," the bellboy said, still standing next to me.

"It's... literally incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a place like this in my life."

"And you will in your death." He clapped his hands together once. "Now, if you'll follow me, Mr. Jang."

As I followed behind the bellboy, I couldn't help but notice a few odd glances from a couple of the guests. I supposed it was pretty obvious that I wasn't like them. I was alive. I averted my gaze, though part of me knew it wouldn't make a difference like it did back out there. There was a certain warmth to the living that could never be hidden, especially from the unnatural cold of the dead.

"You know, it's interesting that you can see us just like that," the bellboy started. "Most people are only able to see ghosts in the dark, and only sometimes. The true nature of the hotel only shows itself to the living during eclipses, in fact."