Alleyway. Daytime.
Rain had stopped hours ago, but the streets were still damp, the smell of asphalt lingering in the air. Cathan stood in the narrow alleyway, facing the same man who had been tailing him for days—the secretary with cold eyes and a voice too smooth to trust.
> "Your brother wants to go to college, right?" the man asked again, with a smug smirk.
Cathan's eyes narrowed. How does he keep knowing things about me?
> "How do you know that?" he demanded, voice trembling.
> "I know everything, Mr. Cathan."
That answer again. So vague, yet so confident it made the hairs on Cathan's arms rise.
> "I've told you before—I didn't even graduate high school. How can someone like me manage a hotel?"
> "Who told you qualifications matter for this job?" the secretary countered coolly. "You have something most people don't."
> "And what would that be?" Cathan scoffed.
> "Loyalty."
Cathan's gaze dropped, jaw clenching. Loyalty? That didn't pay bills. That didn't get his brother into college.
> "Anyone can be loyal," he muttered bitterly. "I'm grateful you think I'm capable… but I can't do it."
The man raised an eyebrow, then turned to walk away. His voice floated back casually—
> "Really? Then I guess I'll have to go and talk to your brother."
Cathan froze. "Wait—what?"
> "I'll tell him the truth. That his beloved brother has no money, no means to send him to college. What a pity. Imagine how disappointed he'd be…"
> "No!" Cathan shouted. "Don't let Mike lose hope. He's just a kid with big dreams."
The secretary smiled again, faint and knowing. "See? That's what makes you different, Mr. Cathan."
He held out a small black card.
> "This is the address. Hotel Alma. Come after 8 p.m. tomorrow night."
> "Why at night?"
> "Because your job… only begins at night."
With that cryptic final line, the man vanished into the crowd, leaving Cathan standing alone in the alley.
He looked down at the card in his hand. Hotel Alma. The text shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
Later – Local Restaurant Kitchen
The clang of metal. The hiss of oil.
Cathan was back in his apron, scrubbing pots and cleaning dishes in the back of a small local restaurant. His hands were soaked, fingers red and cracked, yet his mind wasn't there.
> Hotel Alma. What kind of job happens only at night?
He sighed and turned around—only to bump into a waiter. A plate shattered against the floor.
> "You blind?!" the waiter snapped, grabbing Cathan's collar. "Have you left your eyes at home?!"
> "I'm sorry! It was a mistake!" Cathan tried to back away, eyes pleading.
> "Clean it. Now."
Cathan crouched, picking up the shards, his fingers bleeding. The waiter didn't stop.
> "This is why idiots who didn't finish school shouldn't get jobs!"
Something inside Cathan snapped.
He stood, slowly.
> "I apologized."
> "Don't show me attitude!" the waiter snarled. "You're just a cleaner. Get down and do your job."
Cathan clenched his fists.
> "No."
> "What did you say?!"
> "I said no. Clean it yourself."
He pulled off his apron and threw it down. The waiter lunged, but others held him back as Cathan stormed out through the back door.
Outside, he collapsed against the alley wall, staring at the blood on his hands from the shattered dish.
The sky above was dusky pink.
> "Mom… Dad…" he whispered. "I'm trying to hold it in. But I'm scared. One day… I'll break."
He sat there in silence for a long while, the world moving on around him.
Then something fluttered near his foot.
The card.
Hotel Alma.
He checked his watch. 6:00 p.m.
He stood up, brushing himself off. "Alright, Cathan. Let's do something stupid."
7:50 p.m. – Hotel Alma
A towering, otherworldly hotel stood at the edge of town. Ivy curled along the walls. Lanterns glowed faint gold. It looked like a castle out of a nightmare.
Cathan stood before it, breath shallow.
> "This doesn't look normal at all…"
He pushed open the shimmering blue door.
A staff member in an immaculate suit stood at the entrance.
> "Welcome, customer."
> "Hello… I'm here for an interview."
The man's smile faltered. He looked at his watch.
> "You're human?"
> "Yes… obviously?"
The man glanced around nervously.
> "Please wait here. Don't move. Don't go anywhere. Understood?"
> "Okay…"
The staff darted away.
Cathan sighed and sank into the nearby seat. The air was colder now, heavier.
Then, the door creaked again.
He looked up—and his blood turned to ice.
A woman in her 50s, bleeding from her head, stepped in. Her face was oddly serene.
> She doesn't even look like she's in pain…
She entered the elevator. Curiosity overwhelmed fear. Cathan followed.
He stepped onto the same floor, watched her enter a room, and minutes later, exit again—completely healed, dressed in new clothes. It was like nothing had happened.
He approached her cautiously.
> "Ma'am… You were bleeding earlier. Are you… okay?"
She turned to him and smiled.
> "I lost my way, young man. Could you take me home?"
Cathan smiled kindly. "Where do you live? I'll take you."
Her eyes softened. "You're such a nice boy. Follow me."
Scarlett's Chamber
Scarlett sat on her throne in a sensual red robe, swirling wine in her glass.
The door slammed open.
> "Miss!!"
> "Who told you to barge in like that? Shall I make you disappear?!"
> "I-I apologize, Miss! But there's a problem!"
She sipped, annoyed.
> "This better be worth spilling my wine."
> "A human is here. Right now!"
Her glass stopped mid-air.
> "A human…? At this hour?"
Hotel Hallway
Cathan walked beside the woman, confused.
> "I don't remember which way we came… Why is this hotel so huge?"
> "I need to go home soon…" she muttered, visibly twitching.
Cathan looked around. Where is everyone? The halls were eerily empty.
Suddenly, the woman stopped.
Her body trembled.
Then it changed.
Darkness bled from her pores. Her smile twisted unnaturally.
Cathan took a step back. "Ma'am… what's happening to you…?"
> "I SAID I NEED TO GO HOME!!!" she screamed, voice inhuman.
She lunged.
Cathan fell back, horrified, as the woman climbed on his back.
> "I'm going to use your body to go home!!" She let out a terrifying laugh.
He screamed, paralyzed in terror, pinned to the cold marble floor—
To Be Continued…