The elevator took its passenger to the highest floor, the existence of this level known to few. It slowed down before reaching its destination as gravity shifted, giving the passenger the sensation of being lighter. It was as if one had moved onto a separate plane or dimension. Then again, this hotel did exist in the middle of both worlds. 

Jessica had been to many versions of this hotel in the past few centuries. Though this time, it was different. This time, the hotel was completely empty. There were no guests, employees or its former owner in sight.

She chuckled to herself as the elevator dinged. The elevator had no buttons, yet somehow it always took you to wherever you wanted to go.

“It’s about time this hotel is run by deities,” she took a deep breath as the doors parted.

Jessica took pensive steps as she steadied her mind. This was not how their reunion was meant to happen. She could not believe she was the one making the first move, her century of stubbornness overturned by this moment. Passing the stone arches, she started walking towards the magnificent tree in the middle of the porch, tilting her head to admire the dark blue sky. She paused her footsteps and frowned, as if deep in thought.

With a snap of her fingers, the dark blue sky turned to a bright pink.

It hurt her eyes, both physically and aesthetically. She pulled out a pair of shades from her pocket to shield her eyes from the obnoxious colour. Feeling impatient, she mimicked the gesture of turning an invisible knob, and the colour of the sky increased in intensity.

“YAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”

The ground shook violently from the vibration of the outcry. Jessica held her footing, immune to the tremors, both her feet hovered inches from the ground.

The pink sky dissolved into a light shade of blue.

Jessica rolled her eyes and continued strutting towards the tree. At the same time, a blue silhouette emerged from within the tree, its human form materialising in each step. The transformation was almost enchanting to witness, but Jessica tries to keep her expression neutral.

They meet at the middle, and Jessica only now realises how awkward it is to finally confront the person you have been avoiding for almost 100 years. As an immortal, time is such an odd concept – it accelerates and slows and pauses.

But this, this is the longest pause she had ever experienced.

Jessica is greeted with a slight smile, which catches her off guard. She wanted to look away, but she felt frozen in time and in place. Maybe time does mend all wounds. She starts to smile back.

“ off, Jessica”

Jessica immediately regrets lowering her defences.

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Once the initial shock wore off, Jessica was hit with waves of confusion. Her mind raced through memories of their last encounter, though she knows she did not need to. It was she who was wronged, that much she was sure. She feels the hate simmer but knows it would be disastrous if she lost her temper. She understood the depth of her powers, and how easily it is to lose control.

“This isn’t about you and me,” she said, reminding herself in the process. She wondered if she had a choice, and if she chose to be here.

“I know.”

“What do you know?”, Jessica needed to find out. She barely had a day’s notice before she found out she was the new owner of Hotel del Luna. Orders were made but the rules were vague. She had a million questions, but no one to ask. It is a wonder she ever thought the human world was complicated.  

“That you wouldn’t have come back for me.”

Once again, Jessica is caught off guard. She allowed the words to hang in the air, contemplating its truth. She shook her head slowly, ridding herself of the doubt. Of course I would, Jessica thought to herself, feeling oddly defensive. Eventually, she added mentally.

“Taeyeon…” she breathed. Jessica was not going to apologise, but she sounded sorry.

Taeyeon shifted her gaze to the ground when she heard her name. She sighed, all the bravado she displayed dissipating as the air left her lungs. She might be one of the most powerful beings on earth, but she felt weak, and she hated it.

“What do you need?” she surrendered.

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Not many hold the knowledge of how the world works, especially after death. The oldest deities accumulated experience throughout the decades, yet the rules have been changing. Taeyeon knew that the source of her energy was tied to the tree that powers the hotel and the bridge to the afterlife. But she only knew this because she was told by someone older. What that responsibility entailed had always been vague.

So here she is, using her God-given powers to redecorate. Taeyeon had always enjoyed this part of her powers, though she would never tell this to anyone. For the first few years, she thought that the hotel would always look the same, until one night when Man Wol told her that she wished the hotel did not look like it belonged to her great grandmother’s closet. This was the first time Taeyeon felt like she could be friends with Man Wol.

“Close your eyes and imagine the most beautiful guest house you’ve ever been to,” Man Wol had said hopefully, sounding nothing like her usual self, her typical hardened expression fading as she fantasized. Taeyeon decided to accommodate this wishful thinking and together they sat in silence, craving a better place to spend eternity in.

Their eyes opened to a new reality and Taeyeon felt less resentful towards her predicament.

Jessica had spent all night drafting designs for the hotel. They had decided to keep the name of the hotel to honour its former owner, but insisted they revamped the whole look of the hotel. For someone who felt guilty for all the lost souls waiting for the hotel to open, Taeyeon did not understand Jessica's priorities at all.

“What’s wrong with how it looks?”, Taeyeon asked as she stared intently at the sketch she held in her hands. Walls started moving backwards as two spiral staircases descended from the ceiling, purple carpets unrolled itself to cover the floors, and a brand-new chandelier was hovering in the air.

“You don’t need to miss Man Wol any more than you already do”, Jessica replied, frantically sketching the final designs.

Taeyeon frowned, then closed her eyes as the room started reverting to its former state.

“Hey!”, Jessica looked up, annoyed that her hard work had vanished into nothingness.  “I was being nice,” she said softly, wondering why she even bothered.

“You’re not a nice person, Jessica”

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They remained civil for three days, the worst damage they had done to each other so far were occasional hurtful or passive-aggressive remarks. Jessica thinks that perhaps it’s because Taeyeon had already done the worst thing possible. She decided to block unproductive thoughts in her mind as she soldiered on. 

“Did you know that the hotel does not actually need employees?” Taeyeon smirked as Jessica finished reading the last staff application, feeling pleased with herself. Taeyeon moved her feet from the coffee table as she closed her book, silently cursing the fact that 21^st century fiction was severely lacking compared to 18^th century literature.

“What?”, Jessica yawned sleepily as she placed the 36^th application on her desk. This was the last piece of the puzzle before reopening the hotel. There were many century-old bored deities wanting to be a part of the first hotel that was not run by a punished soul. At least, Jessica thinks she isn’t being punished. She looked at Taeyeon, and realised that she wasn’t sure. This could possibly her version of hell.

“The hotel is self-sufficient. It does not need anyone to cook or clean, and the grim reaper hands the guest a numbered room key once they arrive. For the first few centuries, Man Wol ran the hotel alone. She got lonely I guess, but she’ll never admit it.” Taeyeon explained, her voice softening towards the end. She didn’t only miss Man Wol, she missed all the employees, even the cycle of human manager she inevitably got attached to.

“Fate brought both of you arrogant jerks together, I guess.” Jess replied, unable to mask her irritation. “Why do we need a human manager again?” Jess asked, realising that it made little sense the more she understood the inner workings of the hotel.

“Honestly,” Taeyeon sighed, feeling melancholic, “it was to mark the passage of time.” She did not feel like explaining further. “We do need a grim reaper though. The last one moved.”, she added, remembering suddenly.  

Jessica pondered for a moment and stood up instantly from the revelation, her abrupt burst of energy surprising Taeyeon, who raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“I actually know who we’ll both be happy with.” Jessica said, trying to contain her excitement of seeing an old friend once again. Jessica found it hard to believe that they had managed to survive the past few days, and she did not want to push her luck. A buffer would certainly help, and she knew of the best.

“Who?”, Taeyeon asked, trying to remember the last person she liked.

“Taeyeon, don't you remember Yoona?”

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