The interview with Pratya started normal.
It did not stay normal.
"So!" Pratya said, pulling up what looked like a holographic form. "Welcome to The After, Bangkok office! I'm Pratya, I'll be your judge slash case manager slash friendly neighborhood afterlife administrator! First question: on a scale of one to ten, how dead do you feel?"
Junjao blinked. "Is that a real question?"
"Absolutely! It's very scientific. We've been using this assessment tool since... okay I made it up just now, but I think it's a good icebreaker!" Pratya grinned. "Come on, one to ten."
"Like a three? Maybe four?"
"Interesting! Most people say seven. You're an optimist! I like that!" He typed something. "Okay, next question. What's your name, age, and occupation? Also, favorite food. That one's not required but I'm curious."
"Junjao. Twenty-one. Hotel receptionist. And... pad krapow."
"Classic choice! Can't go wrong with pad krapow. I miss eating, you know? One of the downsides of being dead. Well, that and the whole 'being dead' thing." He laughed at his own joke. "Okay, so tell me what happened. Start from the beginning. Or the middle. Wherever you want, really. I'm flexible!"
Junjao found herself relaxing slightly. This was the weirdest job interview she'd never applied for, but at least Pratya wasn't scary.
"I was on a motorcycle taxi going home from work. I was tired. I might have dozed off. There was a car, and then... nothing. And then I woke up here. Well, not here. At the accident site. With Ruj."
"Ruj! Yes! Excellent soul transferring officer. Very professional. Possibly too professional. I keep telling him to loosen up, maybe smile occasionally, but he's committed to the stoic vibe." Pratya typed more notes. "So you woke up at the accident site, saw your body, classic out-of-body experience. Then what?"
"Then Ruj explained I was... dead? Except I'm not dead. My body's in a hospital. But my soul is here. Which doesn't make sense."
"Oh, it makes perfect sense! Well, no, actually it makes no sense. It's unprecedented. But that's exciting! Do you know how boring this job gets when it's just standard deaths day after day? This is like... like finding a golden ticket! But instead of a chocolate factory, it's a weird medical-spiritual phenomenon!"
"Is that... good?"
"For me? Very exciting! For you? Probably stressful! But don't worry, we're going to figure this out. I'm like a detective. But for death. Death detective. That should be my official title." He made a note. "Changing my title to Death Detective. Moving on! Tell me about your life before the accident."
"Um. I work night shift at a hotel. I studied archaeology at university. I don't really have hobbies except watching YouTube ghost stories, which my friend Suay says is weird but I find them interesting even though they terrify me."
Pratya's eyes lit up. "Ghost stories! You watch ghost stories! Even though you're scared of them!"
"It's like... exposure therapy?"
"Does it work?"
"Not at all."
"I love it! It's so delightfully counterproductive!" Pratya was practically bouncing in his chair. "Okay, okay, this is important. Do you remember any specific ghost stories you watched recently? Like in the last month?"
"I watch them every night, so... a lot?"
"Right, but any that stuck out? Any that were about, I don't know, curses? Ancestral grudges? People getting stuck between life and death?"
Junjao thought about it. "There was one about three weeks ago. Episode sixty-eight of 'Pee Mai Mee Jing.' It was about this researcher who studied old Ayutthaya period records and got cursed because she accidentally uncovered some ancient family feud. The curse pulled her soul out of her body."
Pratya stopped bouncing. "Wait. What?"
"Yeah, it was really creepy. There were these two rival families during the Ayutthaya period, one served the royal family and the other... I don't remember exactly, but they hated each other. When the kingdom fell, one family cursed the other. Then centuries later, this researcher writes about it and boom, cursed."
"And you watched this three weeks ago."
"Yes?"
"And you studied Ayutthaya period history."
"For my thesis, yeah. Burial practices, royal court dynamics, that kind of thing."
Pratya was typing very fast now. "And did your thesis mention any family rivalries? Any servant families? Any controversial historical claims?"
"I mean... probably? I wrote about a lot of stuff. Political intrigue, suspicious deaths, burial customs. It's hard to study Ayutthaya without getting into drama. The whole court was basically a historical soap opera."
"Okay. Okay. This is either a really weird coincidence or..." Pratya pulled up more screens, "we might have an actual curse situation. Which is exciting! And also concerning! Mostly exciting though!"
"Wait, you think I'm cursed? Like, actually cursed?"
"Maybe! We don't know yet! But Junjao, here's the thing." Pratya leaned forward, his expression shifting to something slightly more serious but still warm. "The After has been around for a very long time. We've seen a lot. And sometimes, when people research or disturb things they shouldn't, old spiritual grudges wake up. It's rare, but it happens."
"So what do I do?"
"Right now? Nothing. We need more information. I need to research your thesis, look into Ayutthaya period curses, consult with our specialists. Meanwhile, you're going to stay here as our guest. Think of it like a hotel, but for people who are spiritually confused."
"That's basically what a hotel is anyway."
Pratya laughed. "I like you! You're funny! Okay, more questions. Do you have any enemies? Anyone who might want to curse you?"
"No! I barely have friends, let alone enemies."
"Fair. What about your family? Any weird ancestral history? Any great-great-grandparents who were involved in royal court drama?"
"I have no idea. My mom never mentioned anything like that."
"We'll look into it. What about the accident itself? Anything unusual about it? Did you see anything weird before it happened?"
"Just a car running a red light and me being too tired to react. Very mundane."
"Mundane deaths are actually the most common. People think dying is dramatic, but usually it's just... unexpected and ordinary." Pratya made more notes. "Okay, I think I have enough for now. Let's get you set up with accommodations and a tour of the office. You'll be here for a bit, might as well get comfortable!"
"How long is 'a bit'?"
"Depends! Could be days, could be weeks. Your body is stable, which is good. We just need to figure out why your soul yeeted itself out of there and how to get it back in."
"Did you just say 'yeeted'?"
"I'm very current with youth slang! I learned it from a soul who died last week. Twenty-two years old, very helpful, taught me all the phrases." Pratya stood up. "Alright! Tour time! Let's get Kiet to show you around. He's enthusiastic. You'll like him."
Kiet was indeed enthusiastic.
"Oh my gosh, hi! I'm Kiet! I heard you're the unprecedented case! That's so cool! Well, not cool for you probably, but cool for us! I've never met someone who's alive and dead at the same time! Do you feel different? Can you eat? Do you need to sleep? Sorry, I'm asking too many questions, Khun Pratya says I do that."
Junjao grinned. She liked him immediately. "I feel... weird? Tingly? And I don't know about eating or sleeping yet."
"We'll figure it out! Okay, so, welcome to The After Bangkok office! We're one of the most modern branches in Southeast Asia. Very proud of that. Let me show you around!"
The tour was chaotic in the best way. Kiet talked a mile a minute, showing her everything.
"This is the main lobby, you've seen this, very nice, I love the aesthetic, very tech-startup-meets-Buddhist-temple, and over here is the coffee bar which yes, sounds weird, why do dead people need coffee, but it's more about the ritual and comfort, souls like familiar things, and OH! This is the waiting area!"
The waiting area was filled with souls in various states of acceptance. Some looked confused, some peaceful, some bored.
"We organize by emotional state," Kiet explained. "That section is for people who are still in denial, that section is for people who are sad, that section is for people who are already at peace. It's more efficient. We tried mixing everyone together but it was chaos."
"This is so organized," Junjao said, genuinely impressed. "I thought death would be more... chaotic?"
"Oh, it used to be! Before The After standardized everything, it was a mess. Souls wandering around, getting lost, some refusing to move on. Now we have protocols! Systems! It's great!"
They passed through corridors, saw different rooms for different purposes, met various staff members who all seemed genuinely happy to be there despite being dead.
"Do you like working here?" Junjao asked.
"Love it! I died three years ago, motorcycle accident, same as you actually, and I could have moved on to judgment but I wanted to stay and help. It feels meaningful, you know?"
They reached a door marked with judgment symbols.
"Don't go through those," Kiet warned. "Those doors lead to judgment rooms. Once you go through, there's no coming back. Well, there is technically, but it requires a lot of paperwork."
"Noted. Avoid the death doors."
"Exactly! Oh, and this is the archives room, where we keep records of everyone who's passed through, and that's the break room, which again, weird that we have one, but people like having a place to just hang out..."
A soul walked past them, noticed Junjao, and did a double-take.
"You're alive!" the soul exclaimed.
"Partially?" Junjao offered.
"That's so cool! How does that work?"
"No idea, honestly."
"Nice! Well, good luck with that!" The soul continued on cheerfully.
"Everyone here is so chill about everything," Junjao observed.
"Death has a way of making you chill," Kiet said. "Once you're dead, what else can go wrong, right? Oh! There's Khun Kasidetch! He's been here two weeks and refuses to go to judgment. No one knows why."
Kasidetch was sitting in the waiting area, chatting with another soul, looking completely at ease. When he saw them, he waved.
"New arrival?" he called out.
"Sort of!" Kiet replied. "She's not actually dead!"
"Even better! Welcome to the club!" Kasidetch grinned. He was annoyingly handsome and knew it.
They continued the tour, eventually reaching room 108.
"And this is your room!" Kiet opened the door with a flourish.
The room was perfect. Almost too perfect. It had clearly been designed by some kind of soul-reading magic because it was exactly what Junjao would have wanted. Cozy bed, fairy lights, bookshelves full of archaeology texts and ghost story collections, even a small desk with a computer.
"How did it know?" Junjao asked, walking in.
"The After adapts to needs. It's kind of magic, kind of technology, kind of both? We don't really understand it but it works." Kiet grinned. "Do you like it?"
"It's perfect. Weirdly perfect."
"Perfect weird or weird perfect?"
"Both."
"That's The After in a nutshell!" Kiet checked his tablet. "Okay, I should get back to work. If you need anything, just ask anyone. Everyone here is friendly. Well, except Khun Ruj sometimes, but he's not mean, just... intense."
"I've noticed."
"He's actually really good at his job though. Best soul transferring officer in Bangkok. Maybe all of Thailand. He just takes it very seriously."
After Kiet left, Junjao explored her room more thoroughly. Everything worked. The computer had internet. Her phone still had service. There was even a mini-fridge (empty, but still).
She sat on the bed and checked her phone. Seventeen missed calls from her mom. Thirty-two texts from Suay. Three from Palm, her archaeologist friend.
She couldn't call back. Couldn't text. Just had to watch the messages pile up while her mom probably panicked.
A text from an unknown number popped up: Hey, it's Kasidetch. Got your number from the office directory (yes, we have one, it's very corporate for the afterlife). Wanted to check if you're settling in okay? - K
Junjao stared at her phone. The afterlife had an office directory. Of course it did.
She typed back: Room is nice. This whole situation is insane.
You get used to it. Took me about three days to stop having existential crises every hour.
I'm on crisis number four today.
Rookie numbers. Let me know if you need a distraction. I know all the good spots in the office.
Thanks. Might take you up on that.
She set her phone down and lay back on the impossibly comfortable bed.
She was in the afterlife. Living in an office for dead people. With her body in a hospital and her soul just... hanging out. Learning about bureaucracy in death.
"This is the weirdest thing that's ever happened to anyone," she said to the ceiling.
The room's ambient lighting flickered gently, almost like it was agreeing with her.
That evening, Ruj found her in the office gardens. She was taking photos of the cherry blossom trees on her phone.
"Are those real?" she asked when she noticed him.
"Define real."
"Do they exist in the physical world?"
"No. They're spiritual manifestations of peace and beauty. Many souls find them comforting."
"So they're fake but also real."
"Essentially."
"That tracks." Junjao took another photo. "My Instagram is going to be so weird when I wake up. Just random pictures of ghost trees."
"You're assuming you'll be able to post them."
"Can I not?"
"Living humans typically can't post photos from the spirit realm. The technology doesn't translate properly. You'll probably just get corrupted files."
"Aw man. There goes my influencer career." She sat on a bench. "Can I ask you something? How does someone become a soul transferring officer?"
"The After selects certain souls who have the aptitude. It's not a choice, exactly. More of a calling."
"Do you like it?"
"It's purposeful. Meaningful. Better than wandering."
"That's not answering the question."
"It's the answer I have." Ruj sat down, maintaining appropriate professional distance. "How was the tour?"
"Overwhelming. Informative. Surprisingly organized for the afterlife. Kiet talks really fast."
"He's enthusiastic."
"That's a nice way of saying he has the energy of a golden retriever." She smiled. "Everyone here is weirdly nice. I expected death to be scarier."
"Death is the transition. The After is just... administration. We try to make it as comfortable as possible."
"You're good at this. Kiet told me you're the best officer in Bangkok."
"Kiet exaggerates."
"That's also not a denial."
Ruj almost smiled. Almost. "You should rest. Tomorrow you'll need to help Pratya with his investigation. He'll want to review your thesis."
"Great. My academic work is literally cursed. That's going on my CV." She stood up. "Thanks for checking on me. And for not letting me die at the accident site."
"It's my job."
"Still. Thank you."
As she walked back to her room, Ruj noted that her thread had stabilized slightly. The banter seemed to help. She was adapting.
That was good.
Unprecedented cases required unprecedented approaches, after all.