The Attendant in the Horror Game C18

Chapter 18

The mop ghost’s tendrils—those jellyfish-like strands—writhed menacingly like crashing waves. Jade had to chant the activation phrase immediately. He couldn’t predict what kind of attack would come next.

But then—

“Say ‘Obey me’? Out loud? Here?”

His mind froze as if hit with a system error. The words displayed on the skill window didn’t make sense, and he blinked several times, hoping it would change. But, of course, no miracle occurred. The activation requirement stayed the same.

What kind of humiliating activation command was this?

“How the hell am I supposed to say that?!”

If such an embarrassing command was necessary, shouldn’t the system have warned him before he used the skill? Who in their right mind would shout something like that? People say having a “chuunibyou” phase¹ is a blessing if it comes early—but this was ridiculous. He was about to lose his dignity, not just fight off a ghost.

Just thinking of saying it made his fingers curl inward, and he let out an involuntary groan. Could someone actually die from embarrassment? If not, he might become the first. His lips trembled, unable to form words.

“Myak…?”

Soondol was staring at him like he’d gone crazy. Maybe it was a good thing Ian had lost consciousness—he couldn’t bear the thought of saying that in front of him.

“M–Me, o–!”

He finally managed to open his mouth, but no further sound came. His lips moved, but nothing came out. His face was burning hot, like it was about to catch fire. He had no social dignity left. Thank god his identity here was just that of a servant.

“Myamyang, myang…”

As Jade mumbled nonsense, Soondol shook his shoulder urgently as if to snap him out of it. That only made it worse—having an audience, even a catlike monster, made the humiliation ten times stronger. The worst kind of shame was being unable to hold your head high even before yourself.

“Haaah…”

He took a deep breath. No. He couldn’t give up. He had to deal with this damned ghost first.

“Obey… me!”

Jade shut his eyes tightly. He wanted to die right there.

“Obey me!”

His reluctant shout echoed loudly through the villa, bouncing back at him in a hollow resonance.

For a moment, he felt a chill sweep across his body. Maybe it wasn’t just a feeling—the mop ghost even looked startled.

“Myang?”

Soondol’s fur puffed up, his face one of pure horror. The look in his eyes said everything: You’ve lost your mind, haven’t you?

“O–Obey me!”

Even under Soondol’s horrified stare, Jade couldn’t stop. Ian lay unconscious in his arms, and the system demanded he repeat the phrase three times. Three. Not once, not twice—three. What kind of sadistic system was this?

“Myang, myang.”

Soondol spun one paw around near his own head. Clearly, he meant, Are you insane? Jade’s lips quivered. Saying this three times was more exhausting than an entire day of cleaning.

“Obey me!”

And yet, Jade managed to finish it. As the third chant left his mouth, the whip-like tendrils of the mop ghost began to shrink back. The gray mist surrounding it thinned.

“Kkieeeehk—?”

Its swollen form deflated, the once-frenzied tendrils now limp and motionless. Success—the command had worked.

Thud—

The mop ghost fell to the floor with a wet slap, lying flat and lifeless. It now looked more like a normal mop head than a monster.

“It—It worked! Soondol, it worked!”

Jade gasped for breath, trembling in relief. Soondol fluttered down, circling the fallen ghost as if to confirm what just happened. He tilted his head, glancing between the mop ghost and Jade.

“Myang? Myang?”

Even when Soondol poked at it with his paw, the mop ghost didn’t move. The once-violent creature now lay unconscious.

“Did it… work? It’s over, right?”

Jade felt his energy drain, a deep wave of self-awareness crashing down on him. He’d actually shouted “Obey me” three times. He’d been through a lot of embarrassing moments in life, but this one would haunt him forever. He’d probably kick his blanket in shame for the next week—if he even dared to use one.

No, no—it was over. He’d won. Best to forget everything. Jade rubbed his face several times as if washing away his shame and finally managed to shake it off.

“Haa…”

“Myang?”

“Soondol, what do we do with this thing now? You’re a monster—you must know, right? Will it wake up?”

“Myang? Myak?”

Soondol batted the unconscious ghost with his paws like a toy. When grime stuck to his fur, he shook it off disgustedly—then wiped his paws on Jade’s pants.

“You don’t know? What are your abilities even supposed to be?”

“Myamyang…?”

After a moment of thought, Soondol placed both paws under his chin like a flower pose and tilted his head adorably, tail swaying. His whole body screamed cute.

“Well… I guess being cute’s enough. Who needs anything else?”

“Myang!”

System <<
You have successfully gained the Obedience of “Ghost Mop.”

System <<
You may now issue commands to the obedient ghost.

Perfect timing—the system window popped up with an answer to his question. He could even command it now. Unexpected, but a pleasant surprise. Well then, maybe a little humiliation was worth it after all.

“Young Master, are you all right? Young Master.”

Jade turned his attention back to Ian, making sure the ghost wasn’t stirring. Thankfully, Ian wasn’t hurt—he’d only fainted. But then, the memory of his earlier shouts resurfaced. That shameful phrase—“Obey me.”

“Thank god he didn’t hear that.”

He was genuinely worried for Ian’s safety, but part of him was relieved. If Ian had been awake for that scene, their relationship would’ve been doomed forever. Knowing Ian’s cold, rational nature, he’d probably never take him seriously again.

Honestly, I wouldn’t either.

Anyone yelling such a ridiculous command in earnest would look insane.

“Let’s head down, Soondol.”

“Myang.”

Jade carried Ian back to his room and laid him gently on the bed. Then he fetched a bucket of clean water, added soap, and dunked the mop ghost into it. He simply couldn’t stand the idea of it being filthy.

“Haa…”

He finally exhaled, long and heavy. What a battle. He hadn’t done much besides shouting, but it felt like he’d run a marathon.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. All that was left was to clean the mess the mop ghost had made and deal with Soondol, who was sitting nearby looking oddly pensive.

“Soondol, I’m going to tidy up the fifth floor.”

“Myah.”

Without rest, Jade climbed the stairs again. After fighting the ghost, the villa was a mess once more. His steps felt heavy, drained. Halfway up, a thought occurred to him.

“Come to think of it… does Jade even have a family?”

He’d never thought about it before, being alone himself. Surely, the original Jade must’ve had a life, a family, maybe friends. Was it really okay for him to just take over this body? What if someone came looking for him someday?

“Right… I was lying in the snow when I woke up.”

He still remembered the bone-chilling cold from when he first opened his eyes in this world. Maybe that was when the original Jade’s soul had truly died.

The game’s description of the servant Jade had been only a few lines long—barely enough to give him a face, let alone a story. What kind of man was he? What had driven him to take on the cruel task of killing a child?

“Hopefully not some wanted criminal…”

If he’d accepted a contract to assassinate Ian, he must’ve been living on the edge. But his hands didn’t look like those of a hardened killer—no calluses, no scars. Everything about him was a mystery.

It bothered him that the original had apparently accepted an assassination job for money despite being destitute. And if the mission failed—like now—what would happen?

Would the people who hired him assume he’d gone missing and move on? Or would they come after him? That could ruin all his dreams of one day opening a peaceful bakery.

“Ugh, forget it. I’ll just clean.”

Jade shook his head to chase away the thoughts. The dirty floors demanded attention, and scrubbing them helped quiet his mind.

“But… what did it mean by damage?”

The warning on the skill window resurfaced in his mind. You will take unknown damage upon use. He’d been nervous about it—but nothing had happened. It seemed harmless enough.

“Guess it’s a pretty useful skill after all.”

He shrugged, sounding pleased. Of all the skills he’d received, this one was easily the best. Embarrassing, yes—but it had subdued a ghost and given him command over it. That was kind of cool, actually. He felt proud of himself.

That feeling lasted only a moment—until his eyes landed on the broom lying on the fifth-floor floorboards. His personal cleaning tool, the one he’d thrown aside during the chase.

“Huh?!”

A chill ran down his spine. Something felt wrong. He hurried up the remaining steps two at a time.

“What the—why is it like this?”

Sure enough, the sight that greeted him made his heart sink. His broom was snapped clean in half.

System <<
Due to damage taken from using the skill “Obedience of the Ghost,” your personal item “Broom” has been broken.

The cheerful system notification flashed before his eyes.

“M–My broom!”

Jade fell to his knees, clutching the broken handle, a cry of despair tearing from his throat. This was worse—far worse—than the humiliation of shouting that cursed phrase.