Debtor from Another World
Am I dreaming while standing awake?
I slapped my cheek. It hurt, and I jumped.
What? This isn’t a dream. Then where am I? What kind of place is this?
No. What kind of place this is doesn’t matter. What matters is how I get back. I’m wearing pajamas right now.
But there shouldn’t be any doors in an open field and forest.
Should I try the woods?
After thinking for a while, I turned around and felt around on the ground. Nothing under my hand... until I grabbed something. Hallelujah.
It was a ring. I felt around until I found the doorknob, pushed it, and crawled out on all fours.
The moment I stepped out, a burst of light appeared. And what I saw was the grandmother’s house.
What the...?
When I turned around, I saw a fence with a door. People probably wouldn’t even know there’s a door there.
But I had been rolling around in that garden. To anyone else, it would just look like a fancy fence.
First, let me confirm.
I opened the fence door and crawled inside. I kept my feet outside and just my body inside. It was just a vegetable patch.
Do I have to get my whole body inside?
I crawled out again. Only after doing that did I realize I had been crawling on the dirt in pajamas after a shower.
“Damn it.”
I cursed, but since I was going to wash again anyway, I might as well do it.
First, I just jumped over the fence and entered the vegetable patch.
Looking around, it was the ordinary grandmother’s vegetable patch I knew.
I knew it would be like this. I went back out, opened the fence door, tied the strings of my outer garment to the fence door, and carefully stepped outside.
The light burst again, and the same land appeared...
Why is it night?
The moon was in the sky. The truly surprising thing was how bright the moonlight was.
Wow, there’s no light in the world, but moonlight can be this bright?
It wasn’t bright like daytime, but I could see the surroundings without any problem.
Suddenly I remembered a lesson from civics class. “Kim Jongseo, who received a letter from King Sejo, was trying to read it by the moonlight when King Sejo’s slave struck him with a hammer.”
The class itself was about slaves, but all I remembered from that content was thinking, “How can you read a letter by moonlight?”
Ah, that’s why it was possible.
If there aren’t many lights in the world, the moon feels extremely bright.
When I turned around, my pajama strings were still connected to the air.
Good thing. Otherwise I would have had to keep feeling around in the air.
Now I know where the fence is. First, let me go back, wash, sleep, and then...
At that moment, the moon suddenly shone a spotlight on me.
There was no other way to explain it. The light was especially bright because it only shone on me.
Returnee Confirmed. Moving to Immigration Program.
The words appeared in front of my eyes, and my vision flashed like when I passed the fence door.
When I barely opened my eyes, all I saw was a white space.
Above, below, all around—it was a space that was purely white. A clear sense of something being wrong hit me hard.
Ah, if I had thought it was strange, I shouldn’t have come in!
I later regretted myself, but it was probably too late.
Activating Immigration Program for Returnees.
Immigration from the very beginning? Is it moving to a completely different country?
Isn’t this Korea? Another country? Where am I?
The words floating at eye level melted in the air like they were dissolving and a new message appeared.
Do you not wish to immigrate?
“Of course?”
Then shall I change to the Repayment Program?
The word “repay” I had only heard when my friends talked about student loans.
Isn’t that the term used when repaying a loan? Why do I have to repay? I don’t have any debt.
“I don’t have any debt?”
You are a soul from District 14. However, since you were born in District 88 without a proper procedure, you must repay the fee.
This sounds like nonsense... What is District 14 and what is District 88?
However, if you immigrate to District 14, your fee for this district will be waived this time only.
“If I immigrate, what happens to the me in District 88? No, before that, where is District 14 and where is District 88? Who are you? Where am I?”
You in District 88 will be deleted.
I asked four questions and got only one answer.
“What does ‘deleted’ mean... where am I and who are you? Please come out and talk. Why did you suddenly bring me here? My, my mom will be worried about me. She might call the police. So please send me back quickly.”
Mom probably wouldn’t even realize I was gone. But in this situation, the only one who could hold on was Mom.
Thinking of Mom made me feel like crying. I hoped this voice would get through.
She wouldn’t check with Mom, right? Where is this place exactly?
I was anxious and on the verge of losing my mind when a word appeared in front of my eyes.
The word “deleted” does not exist in the first place, so your memory will remain with no one.
I will never exist in Mom’s mind.
At that moment, I suddenly thought of something.
Will Mom be happy? Mom never looked happy after giving birth to me. Rather...
But still, Mom, I...
I gritted my teeth and glared at the words. There was no one there, but the only ones I could glare at were the words themselves.
“I don’t want immigration or repayment. I’m going back to District 88 and will never come here again.”
Impossible.
“Then if I don’t choose either?”
You must stay here until you make a choice.
Here?
I looked around. In this pure white place?
It wouldn’t be good for my mental health if I stayed too long. It didn’t seem like it would answer anything about Districts 14 and 88 either.
Immigration and repayment.
If I have to choose one...
“How much is the fee?”
Completing ten revelations from District 14 will cancel the fee.
“Revelations?”
Do you wish to select the Repayment Program?
It was just one line of message, but there was a firmness to it.
“If I repay the fee, can I go back to where I came from?”
Yes. Your affiliation will move to District 88.
District 88 must be the one I lived in. Then District 14 is right here.
“I’ll choose repayment.”
You have voluntarily participated in the Repayment Program. Therefore, you will receive the ‘Blessing’. The gods are consulting.
Voluntary?
They only gave me two options and called it voluntary?
Ugh, I let out a long breath. Whether it’s repayment or whatever, let’s just do it quickly and go back. That’s it.
I decided to think positively. Whether it’s revelations or whatever, I can do it. Let me think of what my teacher wrote in my report card back in elementary school.
“Though there are some aspects that don’t care about means, he is good to his friends, has strong goal orientation, is enterprising, and positive.”
Revelations or whatever, I can do it.
A word I didn’t know the meaning of kept rising in front of my eyes.
Three gods have blessed you.
The god of wisdom and learning, Gerka, has blessed you. You will understand everything easily and remember it well. You will investigate the truth and peek at the secrets of the world without exerting as much effort as others.
The god of medicine and healing, Bamilto, has blessed you. You will be healthy. No poison or anything will harm you. Anyone who tries to kill you will have to cut your throat or pierce your heart.
The god of luck and prosperity, Attila, has blessed you. You will always be accompanied by luck. If someone competes with you in luck, you will mostly win. You will easily gain power and seize wealth.
Remember the three gods who blessed you. The gods will always watch over the blessed.
A warm feeling came over me. An indescribable energy enveloped me.
But I couldn’t accept those energies pleasantly because the phrase “always watch” didn’t sound good. What was I supposed to do?
Anyway, let me remember. Gerka, Bamilto, Attila.
Looking at the names, I was confident that this place wasn’t the familiar neighborhood like Korea, China, or Japan.
You will soon be integrated into another world. Remember, you must complete ten revelations.
Revelations? Aren’t they divine revelations from the gods? Then do those three gods have the priority to bless me and give me revelations?
It sounded plausible. I was about to open my mouth to ask that when...
The world filled with brilliant light again. This time it was golden light.
For a moment I couldn’t help but fall into ecstasy. It was an indescribable emotion.
Feeling enveloped in warm water, my eyes closed.
The warmth disappeared. Instead of a cozy darkness, a violent light poured in.
It was like melting in a hot spring and suddenly being thrown into the cold.
What? I tried to ask but all that came out of my mouth was...
“Uwaaa, uwaa—.”
It took a while to realize that sound was coming from my mouth.
Not because I was dumb, but because the sound was extremely loud. It was muffled and small, like I was hearing it underwater.
I closed my mouth in confusion and someone spanked my butt—hard.
Ah, it hurts! Why are you hitting me!
“Uwaa—.”
That damn baby cry came out of my mouth again.
Someone picked me up.
I instinctively raised my head in disbelief and saw a woman looking down at me. She had a kind face.
Was this woman my mother? Did I get born? Integration into another world, did that mean I was born?
Normally, when you suddenly transmigrate into someone’s body, you wake up with a bang, right? Where’s the “uwaaa” from!
“Our young lady, you’re healthy. Your crying is so cute too.”
“Hurry, show her.”
“Yes, yes, Master. Be careful carrying her.”
The woman handed me to someone else. And the man looking down at me was... ugh, a shaggy man.
The middle-aged man saw me and tears fell.
“Ah, my child has finally been born.”
It wasn’t something a happy person would say, but why doesn’t he shave his beard? The tears are clinging to his beard.
“Let’s name this child ‘Arian’.”
He named me with a trembling voice. I struggled to turn my head and a word appeared in the air.
The god of wisdom and learning, Gerka, has given you the first revelation. Before turning twenty, marry the Duke of Hamilcar.
Of course. The creditors named after gods.
I couldn’t help but laugh. The moment I did, “Father” said, “Arian pooped! Her expression is bad!” and handed me back to that woman.
Ha, this is ridiculous.