章節 2: This isn't an RPG
Name: Park Ji-ho
Sex: Female
Age: 21
Strength: 5
Intelligence: 15
Dexterity: 8
Charisma: 10
Constitution: 7
Park Ji-ho had been specially chosen out of millions of other humans because she had the special characteristics that the Afterlife Committee was looking for.
Her mother was a famous actress who worked for an internationally known theatre company that was several hundreds of years old. Ji-ho had been exposed to theatre and trained to follow in her mother's footsteps ever since she was five. The young woman had even taken part in many productions as a youngster and quickly came to realise that she had the unique ability to get inside the mind of the character she was playing. This ability turned her into a wonderful actress who could play any role and become any character that was expected of her.
But Ji-ho had other aspirations for herself. Having had her fill of theatre, the young woman then left the country and disappeared into obscurity when she'd turned sixteen.
Aside from her unique acting skills, Ji-ho was also trained in basic hand to hand combat, just enough to defend herself when push came to shove. Her intelligence and quick thinking skills were also desirable traits that rounded up her positive personality very nicely.
The Afterlife Facility had decided she would make an excellent recruit especially since she was slated to die young, a random fate generated for each human when they were born.
The grim reaper, better known by his other name, Death, was the boss of the facility and he had been running it for thousands of years. Nobody quite knew where he had come from or how he had become death, but that wasn't important. What mattered was the continued smooth and successful functioning of the Facility.
"Mister Reaper, thanks for letting me turn off the oven. I was worried that I'd spend my afterlife constantly thinking about a fire I may have caused."
Having fulfilled her last wish, Ji-ho was walking out from the building with the handsome grim reaper. He had a smile on his face that wasn't quite a smile.
"So what is this Afterlife Facility and how do I get paid for working there?"
The grim reaper pulled a sheet of paper out of thin air and held it out to Ji-Ho. "This will broadly explain the duties expected from you if you decide to contract with the facility."
The young woman took the paper and stood under a street light as she read the contents of the paper.
The Afterlife Facility, it was titled in bold lettering.
"Miss Park, excuse me for a minute while I deal with your corpse."
Ji-ho's attention was no longer on the paper. "What? mister Grim Reaper, what do you mean by dealing with my corpse?" She asked as she trailed after him. He wasn't going to incinerate the evidence of her murder, was he?
Without answering her question, death crouched beside her corpse and turned it over so her glassy open eyes were facing the night sky.
A drunk man stumbled by them, not taking any notice of the two people and a dead body who were invisible to his senses. He was also loudly singing a pop song that was currently the number one hit in the country. Ji-ho felt goosebumps erupt on her skin when she realised that the man had only one more month left in this world. How did she know that?
Ji-ho was unaware of the handsome reaper who glanced in her direction, surprised and thoughtful about what was happening.
"Miss Park, your body will be preserved for your future use if you decide on joining the Facility," he informed her.
"What's the alternative?" Ji-ho asked.
"Discovery and subsequent burial or cremation of the corpse by your family members."
She was reluctant on both counts because it was a choice between hurting her family by having them believe she had disappeared off the face of the planet or finding her dead body. What was she to do?
Members of the facility will act as mediators and actors in multiple worlds across several dimensions, the paper had read. Members of the facility will be compensated for their work by being given free rein to choose the personal identity and world of their next incarnation after the expiry of their contract with the Facility. Ji-ho surmised it was kind of like having an adventure.
"I'll sign the contract, mister reaper."
Under the glow of the moon, death was an ethereal presence. He gracefully stood up to look down at the shorter Ji-ho through silver blue eyes framed by dark lashes. A stab of envy hit her when the young woman realised how smooth his skin seemed to be. Forget Cha Sung-min, the grim reaper was actually ten times, no, twenty times hotter than the actor.
"You are sure, miss Park?" He asked her. "There is no changing your decision or regretting it once you've signed the contract."
"I'm sure," she replied. Ji-ho was already mentally adjusting to her new circumstances and with it came a spark of interest for the supernatural work she was being invited to be a part of.
"Very well," death responded. "The contract is the paper you're holding. If you're satisfied with the terms and conditions of your employment then I will place my mark upon you, confirming that you will be in servitude to me and shall remain under my protection till the end of your time with us."
"Servitude and protection?" Ji-ho let out in surprise as she placed a hand on her chest. "Hold on reaper nim. Hold on. What are you protecting me from?"
"Dangerous circumstances in the worlds you will eventually visit," he replied.
"So... You're my bodyguard?" She would have clapped like a seal from the excitement of having such a handsome man as her bodyguard. What did she have to be afraid of when the grim reaper himself was watching over her? Park Ji-ho happily smacked the reaper on the side of his arm, an action that turned the reaper's unreadable glance to where her hand had touched him.
"Ah but I'm forgetting something. Why am I in servitude to you? The modern world doesn't tolerate slavery, reaper nim. Let's change the wording ah? How about we replace servitude with..... employment?"
"No," he responded.
Park Ji-ho thought about the definition of servitude - the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful - and she couldn't bring herself to easily agree to the terms of the contract.
"Reaper nim, what exactly do you mean by servitude?" She politely asked, the picture of a model employee talking to her boss.
Death slowly blinked at her. He raised his wrist to impatiently glance at the time displayed on his silver analogue watch. Ji-ho couldn't help but admire the brilliant sapphire studded cufflink that winked at her.
"I will never compel you to act in a way that offends your sense of dignity and self-worth. I will never compel you to kill or torture another sentient creature. Rest assured, miss Park, I am not a heartless tyrant."
Ji-ho nodded her head like a chick pecking at rice. "Good, good, but can we add that to the contract?"
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