Episode 1 — The 24-Hour Regression Counseling Center
Prologue
The House of Lien—once one of the Empire’s Five Great Founding Families—is now in ruins.
No territory, no servants. All that’s left is a ridiculously large and hard-to-manage mansion and—
“This is driving me crazy.”
—its current head, Laura.
Though born a noble, Laura had become jaded and cynical from constantly worrying about making ends meet. She clutched at her hair in frustration.
“Has the world lost its mind all of a sudden? Or… was Grandpa telling the truth all along?”
The Lien family has a secret.
They have carried out a hidden mission for thousands of years, entrusted with the will of Lilien, the god of time and fate.
At the gate of their crumbling mansion hangs a large sign:
[OOO Specialty Counseling Center]
This “OOO” is only visible to clients.
And it is the sacred duty of the Lien family to counsel these clients.
Clients typically appear once every 100 years, and over the millennia, the Lien family has carried out their mission under various disguises: as priests, merchants, intelligence agents, and more.
Their most recent client?
None other than the founding emperor of the Empire himself.
Thanks to counseling the first emperor, the Lien family earned their place as one of the founding noble houses.
But since then—there hasn’t been a single client in 500 years.
“…Grandpa, I’m sorry. I really tried my best. But I have to make a living too.”
And so, Laura calmly decided to sell off this ridiculously oversized, decaying mansion.
But then, all of a sudden…
A client appeared.
For the first time in 500 years.
“Welcome, dear client! I am Laura, Head of House Lien, heir to the divine will of Lilien, god of time and fate—and a specialist counselor in regression, possession, and reincarnation.”
“……”
[OOO Specialty Counseling Center]
That’s right. The “OOO” was none other than Regression-Possession-Reincarnation (Korean: 회빙환).
“Now then, which one are you? Regression? Possession? Reincarnation?”
“…Possession.”
“Oh dear, I can only imagine how unsettling that must have been.”
“…I opened my eyes and found myself in another world.”
“That must’ve been such a shock. Before we begin the consultation, could I briefly ask for your current identity and your original identity before possession?”
Client #1:
“…I’ve possessed the crown prince.”
He was the crown prince of the Klan Empire.
“I-I see. And your identity prior to possession?”
“I was originally just a normal college student. But also—”
“Yes, yes, take your time.”
“—I was secretly ranked the #1 hunter. Of course, that ranking was classified.”
The first client had arrived. A possessor.
The “빙” (possession) in “회빙환” had come.
Laura thought that would be the end of it.
“…You regressed?”
“That’s right.”
But then came the second client. A regressor.
The “회” in “회빙환” had arrived.
“I was a notorious troublemaker in a ducal family. I didn’t know the value of family, and I caused scandal after scandal until the entire house collapsed. I should’ve stopped there, but since I had talent with the sword, I decided to seek revenge—and ended up becoming a madman trying to destroy the country.”
“I see, I understand,” Laura said calmly, though something felt… off.
At that moment, the second client shed a single tear.
“This time, I want to live differently. I won’t waste this second chance—I’ll cherish my family and live this life with purpose.”
“Yes… of course you will.”
But that wasn’t the end.
The final one in the trio.
“…You’re reincarnated.”
“That’s right.”
A reincarnator had arrived.
And he was no ordinary man, either.
“…So, if I understand correctly, the greatest threat to the founding of the Klan Empire—the demon… no, the death mage… no, the hero…”
“Yes. That demon, that hero from history—that was me in a past life. I was Kalien.”
After 500 years of silence, three clients had shown up at once.
One of each: regression, possession, and reincarnation.
