The Blue Status Window
"Patrasche is definitely a dog."
"Pfft! But you must never say that anywhere else. Understood?"
Contrary to the tension she felt, the sensation of a warm, soft cloth gently wiping her face was surprisingly pleasant.
But why was the woman wiping it for her? Could she not wash herself?
With a hint of suspicion, Dong-hee shook her legs and stretched her arms high overhead. Even as she did, the nanny remained completely focused on meticulously cleaning every inch of Dong-hee's face.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no problem with her mobility. Her arms and legs moved freely exactly as she intended.
"I'll do it myself."
Embarrassed at being treated like a child at her age, Dong-hee took the towel from the nanny.
The texture was entirely different from the towels she used to buy—four for 9,800 won at the mart.
But why wouldn't she wake up from this dream?
The wet towel against her face was soft and warm, and her pinched cheek still stung.
The nanny stared with wide, surprised eyes before taking the towel back. Dong-hee accepted it again after the woman soaked it in warm water and handed it over once more.
"Please wipe your neck and armpits as well."
"Eek!"
Dong-hee recoiled, remembering the nightmare customers. There was always at least one who would use the hand towel not just on their face and neck, but on their armpits during hot summer days.
She had hated those customers more than anything, yet now that she was the one doing it, the feeling was strangely complicated.
"I just... I want to wash a little."
Dong-hee draped the damp towel over the washbasin like a cloth.
The brass basin gleamed smoothly, catching the sunlight.
Though the woman was called a nanny, both the title and the person standing before her felt completely foreign to Dong-hee.
The nanny gave her a puzzled look and bowed her head slightly.
"Then I will return to escort you once the bath is prepared."
After the nanny left the room, Dong-hee's mind finally settled into a calmer state.
She rose from the bed and paced slowly around the room, trying to organize her thoughts with cold clarity.
First, the face in the mirror was not her own.
Second, the title "lord" was clearly not a name.
Third, the pinch on her cheek hurt, and the towel was wet. This was no dream.
Dong-hee's steps halted abruptly in the center of the room. Her mind went blank as a wave of fear crashed over her.
What now?
What about her part-time job? The studio? Her original body?
So many worries flooded her mind at once that she couldn't even decide which to panic over first.
Then—
Ding!
Revitalize the impoverished territory! Do you accept the quest?
The voice was so bright and friendly that her earlier fear felt ridiculous.
"Huh?"
Yes! Thank you. Since the user has accepted, I will now present the first mission.
Please enter the name you will use.
"No! That's not what I meant!"
'No' is already in use.
'What' is two characters. Please input three or more characters.
Dong-hee's mind grew so tangled it felt pitch black.
Now that she thought about it, the screen resembled the game she occasionally played when she felt down.
Could this be inside a game? But it was far too vivid for that.
Please enter the name you will use.
"This is driving me crazy!"
The user's name has been registered as 'This is driving me crazy'.
"No! That's not what I meant!"
She might have to live with whatever name she chose. She couldn't possibly go with "This is driving me crazy." Dong-hee decided to squeeze out something reasonable instead.
Even if this wasn't reality, it would be nicer to use the name of a pretty actress, right?
After some serious thought, she recited the name of her favorite actress.
"Chloe Grace?"
'Chloe Grace' has been registered as the user name.
Feeling like they had progressed to the next step, Dong-hee nodded firmly.
"Yes."
You have accepted the first quest. Connecting the door to Chloe Grace's semi-basement studio now.
"My room? Perfect!"
It looked like she was finally about to wake from the dream.
Thinking she might still make it to her part-time shift on time, Dong-hee tapped her feet impatiently.
Wake up, wake up already!
But instead of waking, the status window floating before her doubled in size, and the text inside grew much longer.
Dong-hee stepped closer, the way she would read a flyer pasted on a wall.
Unlike her initial terror of not knowing what was happening, she now felt a slow-burning irritation and stubbornness rising inside her. What the hell is this thing and why is it tormenting me?
"Just open already, I'm busy!"
User Name:Chloe Grace
Occupation:Part-timer / Lord of the Grace Territory
Ability:0 (Utterly powerless)
Activity Radius:1 / Semi-basement Studio
Characteristic:0 (Destitute estate)
"What is this?"
Wondering if she was seeing things, Dong-hee waved her hand through the tacky blue window. It rippled like the surface of water but quickly returned to its original state.
"This is actually insane."
Dong-hee pulled her hand back. She had worried it might stain her fingers blue, but that had been a pointless concern.
"My lord! The bath is ready!"
The nanny who had left earlier returned through the open door.
Dong-hee stared blankly at the woman's face, which looked almost ghostly because of the blue screen, then spotted something and clapped a hand over her mouth.
"Huh? That thing!"
Next to the door was an old one-room apartment entrance with a worn number pad.
Like someone in a trance, Dong-hee slowly walked through the status window toward the wall with the door.
She moved cautiously, afraid the sound of her footsteps might make the studio door vanish.
The plush carpet felt incredibly soft beneath her feet. This isn't a dream.
"Nanny."
"Yes?"
The nanny frowned, unable to guess what new scheme her clueless young lord was cooking up this time.
"What is this door?"
The nanny followed Dong-hee's pointing finger and raised her eyebrows in perfect circles.
The lord's behavior had been odd since morning. She had woken at the usual hour when the sun was high, but unlike other days when she simply wiped her face with a towel, today she had asked for a bath to be prepared.
"This... door?"
With an anxious expression, the nanny pointed at the door she had entered through.
But the lord's gaze was fixed somewhere else entirely.
"No, the grey front door right next to it."
In Dong-hee's eyes, the grey door with its number pad was perfectly clear. It was too vivid to be a hallucination.
"What is a front door? There is no such door. My lord, that is only a wall."
The nanny's voice trembled as if she were about to cry.
She can't see it?
Dong-hee touched the door directly and asked again. The cold metallic texture transmitted clearly into her palm. It was definitely not an illusion.
"This door right here."
Her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was right behind her ears.
The nanny studied the lord closely as she stood pressed against the wall.
Even after just waking, the lord's skin was pale and smooth. She stared at the wall with a mysterious little smile.
The nanny let out a deep sigh of relief and folded her arms across her chest.
"My lord, please stop joking and come take your bath. And don't fall asleep in the tub again."
Shaking her head, the nanny took Dong-hee's hand and led her into the bathroom.
"No, I was going to go through there!"
Dong-hee had been determined to open the front door and leave, but the nanny's firm grip gave her no chance to resist.
No matter how much she struggled, it was useless. The woman's strength was incredible.
Inside the bathroom, a maid waited in a modest posture.
The tub was already filled with hot water, filling the room with thick, fragrant steam.
The nanny and maid stripped Dong-hee in the blink of an eye. Their movements were so natural she had no time to protest.
Embarrassed, Dong-hee quickly slipped into the tub where the water rippled gently.
As she sank into the fragrant bath, her whole body turned soft and languid.
I'll just take the bath and then go.
Dong-hee enjoyed the first truly luxurious moment of her life as the maid silently scrubbed every inch of her. She had briefly worried the front door might disappear while she bathed, but somehow she felt certain it would still be there.
The warm water slipped between her fingers. White bubbles rested like cream atop her chocolate-brown hair. Every sensation felt vividly real.
After the bath, the nanny rubbed fragrant oil into Dong-hee's hair and skin, then helped her into a soft bathrobe. She felt like a helpless child, yet the fact that someone was caring for her so attentively brought unexpected comfort.
Even if this dream shattered into nothing, right now she was happy.
Leaving a promise to bring breakfast soon, the nanny and maid exited the room.
Sitting at the vanity, Dong-hee gazed into the mirror. She touched her flushed cheeks, still warm from the hot water, then ran her fingers through her damp hair.
The beautiful girl in the mirror moved exactly as she did.
"What a strange dream."
It was sweet enough that she almost didn't want to wake, but Dong-hee stood up without lingering.
The longer a happy moment lasted, the more brutally reality would hit afterward.
After taking a deep breath, she stood before the front door. Just in case, she touched it again. It was still cold and solid.