001.On the Threshold of Death

I’m dead. No, to be more precise, I’m in the process of dying.

How do I know that?

Because I’m currently watching myself from a third-person perspective, bleeding profusely with my body twisted at unnatural angles.

Today was the last day of my dispatch at the Cheongsol Town Office. As usual, I left work and stood at the bus stop.

"It’s so dark."

The streets in a dying town seem to get dark much faster than in a city.

"This will be the last time I see this view."

There was no sense of regret, of course.

"When did my shoelace come untied?"

The incident happened when I bent down to tie my shoelace. There was a flash, and then my consciousness vanished. I didn’t even have time to look around.

And that’s how I ended up watching myself in third person. I assume I died instantly on the spot.

The streetlights were mostly off, and my body was lying there, alone on the side of the road. My entire body was twisted unnaturally, and a dark pool of blood was spreading on the cement beneath me.

I could only watch the scene with a blank expression, as if I were watching a scene on TV. Maybe, subconsciously, I didn’t want to feel any emotions.

"I never imagined there really was such a thing as a soul… There really are things science can’t explain."

A sense of futility washed over me with this late realization, and the silence around me deepened.

A man got out of the driver’s seat of the car that had hit me. He staggered towards my corpse, clearly intoxicated.

"It was drunk driving."

The man checked my condition, then got back into his damaged car and drove off, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"A hit-and-run too?"

If only my shoelace hadn’t come untied at that moment… Or if I hadn’t noticed it… Or if I had left work a little later.

Regret welled up inside me.

Looking back, I had lived a perfectly ordinary life without ever harboring ill intentions or wronging anyone. I had never lashed out at anyone or even gotten angry. I didn’t even go through a rebellious phase during adolescence. I had served in the military without incident. The only goal left in my life was to save money, get married, and build a harmonious family like my parents did.

And now I was supposed to die from being hit by a drunk driver? While tying my shoelace? Without ever even dating someone?

Even though I knew there was nothing I could change by resenting the situation now, a surge of indignation rose within me.

I hadn’t lived my life wrong, so why…

"Do you feel wronged?"

A strange, eerie voice echoed from somewhere.

"There’s no need to think of it as eerie. I simply have a different voice from weak humans, that’s all."

The mysterious voice responded immediately, as if it had read my thoughts.

As soon as I heard that voice, a chill ran down my spine. It felt like my heart had frozen over.

I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice.

"Of course I can read your thoughts. You’re a soul now. Although your soul will soon disappear."

Finally, the source of the voice revealed itself.

He pressed down on me with an overwhelming presence. His entire body was draped in a massive black robe, and his face was completely hidden in the shadows of a deep hood.

The black horse he rode appeared to be formed from smoke, hovering between the states of solid and ethereal, an unfathomable creature.

The massive scythe he held glowed with a dark light, and a black aura, thick with the energy of darkness, surrounded him.

All these elements combined made him look like the embodiment of death itself.

Even though he was already eerie, his appearance now reminded me of a boss monster in a video game.

"A game? This is reality."

The mysterious figure, watching me from within the black aura, smiled with interest. The smile was cold and merciless.

"Enough with the small talk. I’ve come to offer you, a weak human, a contract. If you accept my contract—"

"I’ll be able to live again?"

I interrupted the mysterious being, and his eyes gleamed. The look in his eyes was filled with a strange energy.

"You’re a quick-witted human."

"And of course, the contract will have conditions that are difficult for me to accept."

"Hmm, that depends on the human."

There’s no such thing as a favor without conditions. Just because I lived an ordinary life doesn’t mean I don’t understand the ways of the world.

"So, can I hear the conditions first?"

"You’re quite composed for someone who’s dead. Fine, I’ll tell you the conditions. The moment you make a contract with me, you’ll, of course, be resurrected. In return, your body and soul will belong to me. Since I can’t have any harm come to what’s mine, I’ll also grant you abilities beyond what any human can possess, so you can protect yourself even in my absence."

Though his voice was calm, I could clearly sense the underlying threat. As I carefully considered his words, I instinctively realized just how dangerous this contract would be for me.

"In summary, you’ll revive me, but you’ll take control of my body and soul."

"Hahaha. Very clever. Exactly. And there’s one last condition."

His voice dropped, becoming even more sinister. As I followed his words, a sense of dread grew within me.

"Since you’re saving the last condition for last, I assume it’s the hardest one."

As if in response to my words, his red eyes flashed within the hood.

"Well, it depends on the human, but for you, it could be quite difficult."

"Do I have to kill someone?"

"Heh. Exactly. You have to commit murder within seven days. You can choose the target yourself."

Though I had only been guessing, his answer shocked me. For me, murder wasn’t just ‘quite difficult’—it was impossible.

"Me? Murder someone? I’ve never even hit anyone. I’d rather just die."

Besides, I was already dead.

"Ho, you’re quite an interesting human."

"Who in their right mind would agree to those terms?"

"Who? Hahaha!"

The mysterious being laughed unsettlingly. That laugh was filled with a certainty, as if he knew something I didn’t.

"But human, you’re already too late."

"Too late?"

"I’ve taken a liking to you. So I’ve decided not to give you a choice."

"No. I’ll just stay dead. I’m already dead, anyway."

"Hmph, you’re not even listening to me. As I said, you don’t have a choice."

"But how are you going to make a contract with me if I refuse?"

"Simple. I’ll make it so you can’t refuse."

"And how—"

"You probably have a precious family, don’t you?"

He struck where it hurt. He was going to use my family as leverage. It was an effective tactic, no doubt.

"Exactly. How would you feel if your family members suddenly died under mysterious circumstances?"

Did he really need to ask? Of course, it would be terrible. But why should I believe what this monster suddenly appeared and told me?

"While I’m disappointed that you keep thinking of me as a monster, your doubt is understandable. So I suppose I should kindly remove that doubt for you."

The mysterious figure whispered something. I wanted to hear it, but it was something I couldn’t make out.

"Killing weak humans like you is no difficult task for me."

His red eyes gleamed from within the robe.

"Death."

Nothing happened.

"Nothing’s happening."

The figure snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the scenery around me changed in a flash.

I found myself standing in my parents’ house. The familiar living room, the sofa, and the television… Everything was the same, yet the situation was completely different. My father was lying on the living room floor, and my mother was kneeling beside him, frantically shaking his body.

"What have you done?!”

"Oh, now you’re finally showing some emotion. Don’t worry. I only stopped his heart for a moment to show you."

His voice was cold, as if he considered this whole situation a game. He snapped his fingers again.

Snap.

My father opened his eyes. I didn’t even have time to sigh in relief before the mysterious figure approached me.

"So, do you now understand that you have no choice?"

His words cut sharply through me. I could do nothing but stand there, powerless. The mysterious figure nodded in satisfaction at my reaction.

"Smart. I like that. Now, let’s make the contract. Will you make a contract with me?"

"Didn’t you say I have no choice, so why—"

Before I could finish, his finger jabbed sharply into my chest.

"Exactly! You don’t have a choice. I just asked out of boredom."

He withdrew his finger and continued.

"Oh, I almost forgot to mention. It’s going to be quite painful from now on. And if you can’t endure that pain… it might just consume you entirely. So, try your best to hang in there."

I wanted to say something in response, but I couldn’t. A pain I had never felt before in my life slowly began to spread through my body.

Hey, shouldn’t you have told me that in advance?!