The Attendant in the Horror Game C19

Chapter 19

Ian did not wake up for the rest of the afternoon. Jade sat by the bedside, constantly checking his condition, worried that the mop ghost’s filthy water might have left some harmful effects.
He wiped Ian’s face gently with a damp towel and changed his clothes. Thankfully, there was no fever, no rash, no sign of infection. Ian simply breathed steadily, asleep as peacefully as if nothing had happened.

While Ian slept, Jade kept to his morning resolution and washed the mop ghost more than ten times. The unconscious ghost could not resist at all.
He had thought the creature was simply made that way, but with each rinse, the dirty water drained away, revealing a clean, almost pure-white form.
By the eighth wash, it looked so spotless that its previous filth seemed like a lie.

Jade carefully picked up the thoroughly washed ghost with tongs and hung it to dry. Though it was just for drying, the sight made it look oddly like a war trophy. Below it lay the broken broom.

“Haa…”

A sigh escaped him as he looked at the neatly snapped broom. Jade blankly stared at the skill window’s experience bar.

Lv. 1 – Apprentice Cleaner’s Hand Movements
>> EXP <<
1,620 / 2,000

“Just 380 more points…”

He had expected to level up today or tomorrow, which made the loss even more disheartening. The thought of it frustrated him further. He had been so close to achieving Lv. 2 – Skilled Cleaner’s Movements!
Now, since only “personal items” gave experience, the progress he had made was suddenly meaningless.

It was ironic. At first, he had found the cleaning skill disappointing—but as he started watching the experience bar rise, cleaning had become oddly fun. Maybe that was why he felt the loss more deeply.

※ “Lv. 1 – Apprentice Cleaner’s Hand Movements” does not meet experience gain conditions. A new personal item is required.

Perhaps the system had detected his sigh, for a new message appeared in the skill window. But it didn’t bring him any comfort.

“So where exactly am I supposed to find a new personal item?”

It had already been ten days since he’d arrived here, and he practically knew every item in the villa by now. Apart from the broken broom, there was nothing else that could be used for cleaning. The system, which had so casually given him that vague message, offered no further assistance.

“Haa…”

“Myang…”

Even Soondol seemed weighed down by some existential concern. The little creature still couldn’t understand how the mop ghost had been subdued. Jade had shouted some ridiculous phrase three times, and suddenly the ghost had lost its power. No matter how much he thought about it, it made no sense.

“Myang? Myang?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Soondol tugged at Jade’s sleeve with his claws.

“What’s wrong?”

“Myang, myang?”

Soondol pointed to the mop ghost, then flopped over dramatically, pretending to faint. He was asking how Jade had done it. Fortunately, Jade immediately understood what he meant.

“Haha… well, maybe it listened to me and changed its mind. Turns out it was a good ghost after all?”

“Kaaak!”

“No? Then maybe it was scared of us. Maybe it surrendered because you looked so strong, Soondol.”

Jade scratched his head awkwardly as he spoke.

“Myang?”

Soondol’s golden eyes sparkled like jewels. Scared because he looked strong? That was the highest compliment a monster could receive.

“Myang?”
“Could it be… me?!”

Soondol twirled around the ghost, bringing both paws to his cheeks in glee. In truth, he had used his ability when the mop ghost appeared.

However, Soondol’s power only worked on humans—it rarely affected other monsters or spirits. And since he had only recently hatched, his ability was still unstable.
Even knowing that, he had tried to use it on the ghost, just in case.

“So my ability really worked?!”

His little shoulders puffed up with pride. Maybe it had worked precisely because he was an intimidating, magnificent, and mighty creature.
Brimming with confidence, Soondol completely forgot about Jade’s absurd chanting from earlier.

“Haha.”

Seeing Soondol return to his usual cheerful self, Jade let out a discreet sigh of relief.

“But Soondol, do you think it’ll stay like that? If it doesn’t wake up, I can’t really put it to work.”

“Myang, myang myak.”

Using his tiny toes to count, Soondol explained that the ghost would probably remain unconscious for a day or two. Being a magical creature, he seemed to have a good grasp of such things. Jade nodded and decided to focus on tending to Ian in the meantime. He couldn’t shake off his guilt.

Ian had said he’d seen the mop ghost before but hadn’t thought much of it, which meant it had never caused trouble until now. The fact that this happened today was entirely his fault.

“I’m sorry.”

Jade murmured the words softly while gazing at Ian’s peaceful, sleeping face. Ian’s breathing was calm and steady, like that of a forest fairy resting in silence.

Ian regained consciousness only at midnight. The moment he opened his eyes, his gaze met Jade’s, and he almost dove back under the blanket out of surprise.

“You’re awake?”

“Jade?”

Startled, Ian tried to sit up, but Jade quickly helped him lean against the headboard.

“You were unconscious for quite a while. It’s already night now.”

“Ah…”

Ian’s eyes drifted toward the dark window. Morning had become night—he had been out that long.

“Since you’re awake, would you like to eat something? I just finished preparing this.”

Jade handed him a deep bowl and a spoon. Inside was what looked like corn stew, steaming hot.

“This is…”

“There was some dried corn in the cupboard corner. I also found a bit of starch powder.”

“Ah.”

It must have been food hidden by the second servant who’d come before Jade. That servant had arrived in the same carriage as the supplies from the Linwood family—and had hidden away all the food so Ian couldn’t eat it.
After killing him, Ian had only found a few potatoes and three loaves of rye bread. Apparently, this stash had been hidden somewhere he couldn’t reach. Ian stared blankly at the bowl.

“Try a bite. It should be fine.”

“Yes…”

Ian cautiously lifted the spoon. The warm, savory aroma filled his senses, awakening a hunger he rarely felt.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Jade asked before Ian had even swallowed. Ian quickly nodded.

“Haha, are you sure it’s actually good?”

Jade chuckled as Ian hurried to taste properly this time. His laugh was bright, his smile open and smooth, his lips curving easily. There was something disarming about it—something that made Ian unable to look away.

It’s delicious…

He took another spoonful. It had been so long since he’d eaten something that tasted like real food. Normally, Ian didn’t eat much, but this time he finished the entire bowl without realizing it.

“Myang.”

Soondol, too, had finished his own bowl, the stew smeared on his whiskers. His stomach was so round he could barely fly.

“Do you feel any pain anywhere?”

Jade asked as Ian put down the spoon.

“No.”

Truly, there was no pain at all—just a lingering embarrassment from fainting right in front of Jade.

“If you’re done eating, you should rest more. You need to recover fully.”

“I’m fine, really…”

But Jade ignored the protest, gently pushing him back onto the bed before pulling out a storybook. Ian blinked. He’d never seen that book before. Where had Jade even found it?

“I’ll read you a nice fairy tale. Even if you’re not sleepy, this will help.”

Ian wasn’t interested in fairy tales. He hadn’t been, even as a child. To him, they were empty, sentimental nonsense that offered no practical value.

“…All right.”

Yet, he obediently pulled the blanket up to his chin and replied quietly. Normally, he would’ve refused coldly—but tonight, he didn’t feel like it. Jade had saved his life—twice now. Annoying as he could be, Ian could allow this much.

“Oh, really? I was expecting you to tell me to get out.”

Jade looked genuinely surprised, then smiled as he opened the book. The story was a simple, predictable one—about a hero who made friends and went on an adventure. The kind you could guess the ending to after a few lines.

“…And the hero said, if we become friends…”

Jade’s tone was flat, almost lifeless. He didn’t sound like someone reading a story—just someone reading words aloud. He clearly wasn’t used to it.

“……”

Listening to that quiet, steady voice, Ian found his gaze drifting to Jade’s face. Jade, focused on the book, didn’t notice.

Two moles.

Right beneath his left eye, there were two tiny moles, slanted diagonally. His skin was slightly paler than average, and against his dark hair, it seemed to glow faintly.

Ian’s complexion was fair too, but Jade’s was different—healthier, with a natural sheen. His upright posture and clear skin gave off an impression of quiet strength.

His hazelnut-colored eyes, though often indifferent, held a gentleness, and the faint double crease of his eyelids softened his expression. His square shoulders gave him a composed air.

“Feeling sleepy yet?”

“Ah, yes.”

Jade’s own face was the one that looked half-asleep as he asked. Ian, caught staring, startled.

“Yaaawn… Sleep is the best medicine, you know.”

Honestly, Jade looked more exhausted than Ian did. After everything that had happened, he must’ve been drained. His sweat-dampened hair was slightly disheveled.

At first glance, his hair seemed an ordinary dark brown—but up close, it wasn’t. It was truly pitch-black, not even turning lighter under the lamplight, which gave him an oddly mysterious aura.

“Get some sleep now.”

Jade placed a hand over Ian’s eyes, telling him that children should go to bed early. For some reason, Ian felt a pang of disappointment.

Was it the left cheek that had the moles? He had just seen them, yet somehow, he wasn’t sure.

With his eyes closed, Ian quietly replayed Jade’s face in his mind—each detail vivid in the darkness—until he drifted back to sleep.