Chapter 1

“So you’re the owner of this inn?”

The white-haired man stared sharply at the woman standing before him.

Her shoulders were barely a handful wide, and her neck was so thin it looked as though it might snap at any moment. Was she really the person in charge of such a large inn?

“Yes, that’s right, sir. My name is So So-hee, and I’m the manager.”

Even though the woman smiled pleasantly, he still seemed unconvinced and couldn’t bring himself to speak right away.

She couldn’t be much older than twenty. She looked far too young to be handling something this important.

“How long have you been in Wicheon?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.”

…What?

The man’s eyelids immediately tightened.

He wore a blue robe with wide sleeves, and his gaze was as sharp as a drawn blade.

Tang Je-ik, the head of the Tang Clan and one of the supporting characters in the martial-arts novel I Became the Immortal Heavenly Demon, silently examined the woman in front of him.

She’s young. But…

His wandering gaze stopped at the name tag hanging around her chest.

「General Manager So So-hee」

Three white characters engraved against a black background.

It clearly identified her official status, which was guaranteed within Wicheon.

That name tag proved that she was the person in charge of the ‘Reincarnation Motel,’ the place responsible for the reincarnation and transmigration of supporting characters and extras from fictional works.

Well, you can’t judge someone’s abilities by their appearance alone.

During his lifetime, he had encountered countless martial artists, from children to old men.

As he lifted his eyes after a moment of thought, they met So So-hee’s, which were still curved into a smile.

“You’re around the same age as my grandfather. Please feel free to speak comfortably.”

“…Very well.”

Tang Je-ik casually brushed down the hem of his wide-sleeved robe.

“Let us begin.”

“Then I’ll start by confirming some basic information.”

So-hee opened the life record summarizing Tang Je-ik’s life.

She had already familiarized herself with the contents of the novel in which he had appeared and what role he had played, but So-hee always carried the records with her so she could review them from time to time.

After all, for the customers who came here, the present might be more important than the moments they had spent living.

“Your name is Tang Je-ik, and you died in battle at the age of sixty-five. Is that correct?”

“That is correct.”

“You already know where you are, I assume.”

“It is an inn for insignificant people below the level of supporting characters, where they can undergo reincarnation and transmigration.”

So-hee’s brow twitched.

Wasn’t he basically insulting her while subtly putting down this motel at the same time?

Even so, So-hee quickly pulled the corners of her mouth back up.

It had been so long since she’d had a customer. She couldn’t afford to upset him for no reason.

“Yes, exactly. Though, technically, it’s a motel now… I mean, an inn.”

Tang Je-ik’s eyebrow twitched, and So-hee hurriedly corrected herself.

Then she checked the documents she had set down and asked,

“This is your fifth death, correct?”

“So it would seem.”

“Yes. You have lived exclusively in martial-arts novels so far. In I Became the Immortal Heavenly Demon, you appeared as a supporting character for the first time… Let’s see. The work immediately before that was The Sword God Hides His Power. And before that…”

“I have no interest in my past lives.”

So-hee lifted her eyes from the documents and looked at him.

Throughout all the novels he had lived in, this man had merely been a nameless bandit, passerby, merchant, or martial artist.

And each time, he chose dissolution.

As he had said, his former selves had been ‘insignificant people.’

There had been no reason for them to undergo reincarnation after death. They had no story to return to, and for them, ‘dissolution’—the ending of a character’s life—was far more beneficial.

Characters who had fulfilled their roles could simply disappear without interfering with the story.

And there was a definite reward for that dissolution.

In their next work, they would be given characters with slightly greater importance.

Tang Je-ik had done the same.

He had chosen dissolution four times, and as his importance gradually increased, he had finally been given the name Tang Je-ik, a member of a prestigious clan, and a supporting-character role in this novel.

The fact that he came to the motel at such a crucial point means…

So-hee couldn’t help but wonder.

If he chose dissolution again this time, there was a high probability that he could aim for a major supporting role—or even a protagonist role—in the next work.

“Miss Manager.”

So-hee, lost in thought, suddenly looked into his eyes.

Tang Je-ik’s eyes, blackened by the completion of his role and death, stared straight at her.

After thinking for a moment, he let out a long sigh as though he had finally made up his mind.

“I wish to regress.”

He was saying that he intended to defy the fate assigned to him in the novel.

So-hee’s heart was pounding.

“I’ll just take a look and leave.”

“Now that I think about it, I don’t think I want to undergo reincarnation.”

“There’s a chance it might fail? Then I won’t do it.”

Nine out of ten customers were like this.

So-hee tried to remain calm in front of Tang Je-ik, who firmly wanted to regress.

But there were still much bigger hurdles to overcome before they could reach the final decision.

So-hee handed a document to Tang Je-ik.

“This is the Reincarnation and Transmigration Agreement. Please read it and sign it.”

“An agreement?”

Tang Je-ik picked up the paper and quickly scanned the contents in his mind.

「I hereby clearly express my firm desire to undergo reincarnation and transmigration. I acknowledge that reincarnation and transmigration cannot be performed by a representative on my behalf. Characters below the level of supporting characters are granted only one opportunity for reincarnation and transmigration….」

He frowned.

They certainly aren’t generous.

He had occasionally seen protagonists who regressed hundreds of times.

He already knew that the opportunities given to protagonists could never be equal to those given to supporting characters or extras.

Wasn’t that why everyone desperately chose dissolution over and over again, hoping to eventually become a protagonist?

But understanding something logically didn’t necessarily make it feel any better.

He continued reading.

「I acknowledge that reincarnation and transmigration may fail. The fee may be paid in cash or with physical assets….」

Fine. That much was obviously something he knew.

But the next clause left him speechless.

“…Regardless of whether the reincarnation and transmigration succeeds or fails, I will begin again as an extra in the next work?”

Tang Je-ik stared at So-hee for a moment, stunned by the absurd condition.

In other words, whether the reincarnation and transmigration succeeded or failed, all the ‘dissolution karma’ he had accumulated would be reset to zero.

It was the worst possible condition: beginning again as a completely nameless character in the next novel.

Tang Je-ik’s mind became complicated.

I have lived as five different characters in total, including this life, after four lives I can barely even remember. And now all the karma I accumulated during that time will disappear into nothing in an instant?

Wasn’t this essentially telling him not to even attempt it?

“Hah…”

At his sigh, So-hee swallowed nervously.

No matter how determined customers were when they arrived, many of them backed out at this final hurdle.

She anxiously waited for Tang Je-ik’s answer while carefully hiding her nervousness.

“Tsk.”

“……!”

With an annoyed click of his tongue, Tang Je-ik wrote his name neatly on the agreement.

Then he lightly placed the paper on the round table in front of him.

“What a troublesome process.”

“Thank you, sir.”

So-hee bowed her head.

She understood all too well.

It was troublesome, difficult, and even cost money—and regardless of whether it succeeded or failed, the customer would have to start again as an extra.

It was an extremely harsh condition.

So-hee quietly stared at Tang Je-ik’s straight, decisive signature.

“I will definitely…”

“Hmm?”

Her eyes burned like flames.

Despite these unfavorable conditions, Tang Je-ik had a reason to bet his entire character life on reincarnation and transmigration.

“I will make sure it succeeds.”

Seeing the brilliant light in her eyes, Tang Je-ik gave a faint chuckle.

Unlike his own black eyes, which had long since lost their light, hers sparkled with pure sincerity.

For some reason, the unpleasant feeling in his chest eased slightly.

“You had better. Still, when the price is sufficient, one’s resolve becomes stronger.”

From within his deep sleeve, he took out something that sparkled just as brightly and placed it on the table with a soft tink.

“……!”

“A golden turtle should be sufficient payment.”

It was the Tang Clan seal he had carried throughout his life.

So-hee steadied her trembling voice at the unexpectedly large payment and replied,

“…Yes. It is more than enough for the fee.”

“Then I shall look forward to it.”

After he finished speaking, So-hee hurriedly went to retrieve a room key.

“The maximum stay here is three months. However, preparations for regression are usually completed within a week.”

“You’ll handle it properly.”

“Then this way, sir.”

As So-hee was about to guide him to his room, Tang Je-ik stopped her.

“Wait, Miss.”

“Yes?”

“You’re human, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then are you among the living or the dead?”

So-hee answered with a familiar smile.

“That is a secret.”

“A secret? What secret? She just doesn’t want to be bothered.”

A motel with an exterior decorated entirely in pink, and an interior in an even lighter baby-pink shade.

The lobby contained nothing particularly special—just a few small sofas and tables.

It was an old-fashioned motel.

The moment someone entered through the motel’s opaque glass doors, a small front desk could be seen directly ahead.

So-hee was sitting behind it, busily writing something.

“You have so few customers that I wouldn’t call it bothersome.”

“Poor attitude. Insincere response to customer questions.”

“This is my strategy, in its own way.”

“Done.”

So-hee looked over her notebook with a proud expression.

There were only a few entries, but the golden turtle she had received from the elder of the Sichuan Tang Clan was the most expensive payment she had ever received.

Of course, that was according to South Korean prices.

After carefully recording everything, she finally leaned back in a luxurious chair that looked completely out of place with the old-fashioned interior.

“Strategy?”

“Of course. What do you think happens if the manager of a motel and reincarnation expert is ‘a human who was unwillingly dragged from Korea into another world’?”

“What happens?”

“It gives the impression that there’s a bit less expectation, trust, and expertise.”

“You don’t have any expertise in the first place. You’re just good at lying.”

“That’s not true! There’s a truthful substance underneath… I just make the packaging more elaborate.”

So-hee’s voice grew quieter, as though she felt slightly guilty.

It was true that she sprinkled a little flavor enhancer into the bland stories of the supporting characters to make them more suitable for reincarnation and transmigration.

Of course reincarnation doesn’t just happen.

There has to be a proper justification and a compelling story.

And I’m the one who creates those things.

Unlike protagonists, supporting characters couldn’t easily undergo reincarnation and transmigration.

For them to even attempt it, they needed a sufficiently strong ‘public-interest reason.’

That was one of the fundamental rules.

Basically, it means they shouldn’t even try unless they absolutely have to.

But…

So-hee searched relentlessly, eyes burning with determination, trying to find even the smallest justification hidden between the lines of their stories.

Even though she was a heavy reader of web novels, there was no way this process could be easy.

Nevertheless, there was another reason she could never give up.

“And I have to return to my own world too! That’s why I’m risking my life to make reincarnation and transmigration happen.”

So-hee spun her chair around and looked at a white porcelain object.

It was a moon jar, beautifully smooth and round, pure white without a single blemish.

A stiff, mechanical voice came from it.

“The supporting characters who come here are the ones risking their lives. What use is your life?”

“…Then should I just do things half-heartedly? I don’t age here anyway. Maybe I should just enjoy immortality?”

“…Risk your life.”

It had been exactly three months since So-hee arrived at the ‘Reincarnation Motel’ in Wicheon, the afterlife of fictional characters.

It had taken a truly enormous number of things for twenty-five-year-old So So-hee to finally accept reality.

Truly.

A lot.