Became the Owner of a Poor Estate
Chapter 2
“Patrasche is a dog's name, though.”
“Pfft! Still, you mustn't ever say that anywhere else. Understood?”
Contrary to her nervousness, the sensation of the warm, soft cloth wiping her face felt quite nice.
But why is she wiping me? Can’t I wash myself?
Just in case, Donghee wiggled her legs and stretched her arms upward. Even as she did, the Nanny remained preoccupied with meticulously wiping every corner of Donghee’s face.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no issues with her mobility; her arms and legs moved exactly as she intended.
“I’ll do it.”
Embarrassed at being treated like a child at her age, Donghee took the towel from the Nanny.
The texture was worlds apart from the towels she’d bought at the Mart, four for 9,800 won.
But why am I not waking up from this dream?
The wet towel against her face was soft and warm, and her pinched cheek was still stinging.
The Nanny stared at her with wide, surprised eyes before taking the wet towel back. Donghee then accepted the towel again after the Nanny had soaked it in warm water and wrung it out.
“Wipe your neck and armpits as well.”
“Ugh!”
Donghee recoiled, reminded of difficult customers. There was always at least one customer who wasn't satisfied with just wiping their face and neck with the wet wipes meant for hands, and would go as far as wiping their armpits in the heat of summer.
She had hated those customers most of all, so it felt strange to think she was doing the same thing now.
“I’d… just like to actually wash up.”
Donghee draped the damp towel over the edge of the washbasin.
The brass basin gleamed under the sunlight.
Though the woman was called Nanny, both the title and the person standing before her were foreign to Donghee.
The Nanny gave Donghee a puzzled look before bowing her head slightly.
“Then I shall come back to fetch you once the bath is prepared.”
Once the Nanny left the room, her mind felt a bit more settled.
Donghee got out of bed and began to pace slowly around the room, trying to coolly organize the current situation.
First, the face in the mirror is not my face.
Second, the title ‘Lord’ is definitely not a name.
Third, it hurts when I pinch my cheek, and the towel is wet, so this isn't a dream.
Donghee’s footsteps came to a dead halt in the middle of the room. Her mind went blank as a wave of fear surged within her.
What do I do?
What about my part-time job? My studio apartment? My original body?
So many worries swarmed her mind at once that she didn't know which to fret over first, when—
Ding!
A mechanical beep, entirely out of place in this setting, rang out.
It was a terribly dry sound, yet it was so familiar that it felt incredibly welcoming.
Looking around for the source of the sound, Donghee discovered a blue status window floating in midair.
“What is this?!”
Startled by the sudden appearance of the status window, Donghee stepped back and flopped down onto the bed.
The status window followed, moving closer as she moved away. If she turned her head, it hovered in the direction she looked; if she looked down, it moved toward the floor.
It was creepy, reminding her of a debt collector shoving their face into hers while demanding repayment.
“Eek!”
—Revive the impoverished territory! Would you like to accept the quest?
A cheerful and kind voice spoke, making her previous fear seem pointless.
“Pardon?”
—Yes! Thank you. Since the user has accepted, I will give you your first mission.
The status window pushed the mission forward as relentlessly as it had appeared. White text on the solid blue screen blinked, waiting for Donghee’s response.
—Please enter the name you wish to use.
“No! That’s not what I meant!”
—‘No’ is a name already in use.
“What?”
—‘What’ is only one word. Please enter a name of at least three syllables.
Donghee’s mind went beyond complicated and turned pitch black.
Now that she thought about it, the screen looked similar to a game she used to play whenever she felt troubled.
Could it be that I’m inside a game? But it feels way too vivid for that.
—Please enter the name you wish to use.
The white letters blinked, urging her to enter a name.
“This is driving me crazy!”
—The user’s name will be registered as ‘Crazy’.
“No! Not that!”
Since this might be what she’d be called from now on, she couldn't use a name like ‘Crazy’. Donghee decided to squeeze out a decent name for the time being.
Even if this wasn't reality, wouldn't it be better to use a pretty actress’s name?
After some intense deliberation, Donghee recited the name of an actress she liked.
“Chloe Grace?”
—‘Chloe Grace’ will be registered as the user’s name.
Feeling like she’d finally moved past a stage, Donghee nodded firmly and answered.
“Yes.”
Ding!
—You have accepted the first quest. I will now connect the door to Chloe Grace-nim’s studio apartment.
“My room? Great!”
It seemed she was finally waking up from the dream.
Donghee bounced her legs, thinking that if she was lucky, she might not even be late for her part-time job.
Wake up, wake up!
But far from waking up, the status window floating before her eyes grew twice as large, and the text inside it became much more numerous.
Donghee leaned closer to the status window as if reading a flyer stuck on a wall.
Unlike the beginning when she was scared because she didn't know what was happening, a sense of stubbornness and annoyance was now creeping up—a feeling of ‘just what is this thing that keeps bothering me.’
“Just open it already, I’m busy!”
[Status Window]
—User Name: Chloe Grace
—Occupation: Part-timer / Lord of Grace Territory
—Ability: 0 / Meaning you have absolutely nothing
—Activity Radius: 1 / Underground studio apartment
—Traits: 0 / Dirt-poor territory
“What is this?”
Thinking she was seeing things, Donghee waved her hand through the tacky blue status window.
The status window wavered like the surface of water before returning to its original state.
“I’m going to lose it, seriously.”
Donghee pulled her hand away. She’d briefly worried her hand might turn blue, but it was a useless thought.
“My Lord! The bathwater is ready!”
The Nanny, who had left earlier, re-entered through the open bedroom door.
Donghee was staring blankly at the Nanny’s face, which looked like a ghost through the blue screen, when she spotted something and covered her mouth.
“Oh? That’s…!”
On the wall next to the bedroom door, there was her studio apartment’s front door, complete with its worn-out keypad lock.
Like someone possessed, Donghee walked slowly through the status window toward the wall where the front door stood.
She crept along, terrified that the door to her room might vanish at the sound of her footsteps.
The sensation of the plush carpet against her soles was incredibly soft. This isn't a dream.
“Nanny.”
“Yes?”
The Nanny replied with a furrowed brow. She couldn't begin to guess what her flighty Lord was up to now.
“What is this door?”
The Nanny arched her eyebrows in surprise as she looked where Donghee was pointing.
The Lord’s behavior had been strange since this morning. She’d woken up when the sun was high in the sky as usual, but unlike other days when she’d finish her morning wash with just a wet towel, today she’d ordered a bath to be prepared.
“This… door?”
The Nanny looked uneasy as she pointed to the bedroom door she had just entered through.
However, the Lord’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.
“No, the gray front door next to it.”
In Donghee’s eyes, the gray front door with the keypad was clearly visible. It couldn't be an illusion when it looked this vivid.
“What is a ‘front door’? There is no such door there. My Lord, there is nothing but a wall there.”
The Nanny’s voice trembled as if she were on the verge of tears.
She can’t see it?
Donghee asked again, touching the front door herself. The cold sensation of metal was transmitted directly to her palm. It really wasn't an illusion.
“I mean this door.”
Her heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it was right behind her ear.
The Nanny observed the Lord closely as she stood pressed against the wall.
The Lord, who looked pale and fair even after just waking up, was staring at the wall with a strange smile.
The Nanny let out a deep sigh of relief and crossed her arms over her chest.
“My Lord, stop playing jokes and hurry inside for your bath. Don't you dare fall back asleep in there.”
Shaking her head, the Nanny dragged Donghee into the bathroom.
“No, I need to go that way…!”
Donghee, who had been determined to open that front door and leave immediately, was helplessly dragged away by the Nanny’s surprisingly strong grip.
No matter how much she flailed, her strength was no match for the woman’s.
Inside the bathroom, a maid was waiting in a demure posture.
Perhaps because the bathtub had been filled with hot water, the room was thick with white steam.
The Nanny and the maid stripped Donghee of her clothes in an instant. It was so natural that she didn't even have a chance to resist.
Embarrassed, Donghee quickly climbed into the bathtub filled with shimmering water.
As she submerged herself in the tub scented with fragrant bath salts, her body felt soft and a pleasant lethargy washed over her.
‘I’ll just take the bath and then go.’
Donghee spent a luxurious moment for the first time in her life, attended by the maid who scrubbed every inch of her clean even while she sat still. She worried for a moment if the front door might disappear while she bathed, but somehow she felt certain it would still be there.
Warm bathwater slipped through her fingers, and white bubbles were perched like cream atop her dark brown hair. Every sensation was as vivid as reality.
After the bath, the Nanny applied fragrant oil to Donghee’s hair and body and dressed her in a soft bathrobe. She felt like a helpless child, but the fact that someone was caring for her so meticulously brought her great comfort.
Even if it was a dream that would vanish into nothing, she was happy for now.
Leaving word that she would bring breakfast, the Nanny and the maid left the room.
Sitting before the vanity and staring blankly into the mirror, Donghee touched her cheeks, flushed rosy from the warmth, and her damp, soft hair in turn.
The beautiful girl in the mirror followed Donghee’s every move.
“What a strange dream.”
It was a dream so sweet that the thought of not wanting to wake up suddenly crossed her mind, but Donghee stood up without lingering.
The longer the happy moments lasted, the more miserable the approaching reality would feel.
After taking a deep breath, Donghee stood before the front door. She placed her hand on it just in case, and it was still cold and hard.
