HANEUL felt like his whole body was floating, as if gravity had disappeared. He wanted to open his eyes to see where he was, but he couldn't. It's like his eyelids were taped, unable to open them.
But where could he possibly be? Was he on his way to heaven? Surely, he wouldn't go to hell, right? He's not the kindest person out there, but he sure as hell was not bad either.
He never committed a heinous crime, he never bullied nor deceived anyone. He was a standard, law-abiding citizen. Although he got into fights a few times, he was never the one who started it. He only fought back to defend himself.
Even though he couldn't do charities because he was severely lacking financially, at least he didn't go out of his way to make the people around him suffer. That should amount to something, right?
But why was he still floating? Was the journey to heaven this long?
As if on cue, his body suddenly stopped moving. And then he felt like he was being pulled down. Before he could react, his feet had already landed on something solid.
The feeling that there was something blocking his eyes finally disappeared, and he was able to open them.
The first thing he saw was an infinite white space. Wherever he looked, there seemed to be no end. He would have continued on looking if not for the sudden voice behind him.
"You're here."
Haneul almost jumped to his feet because of how startled he was. He quickly turned around and was stunned when he saw someone standing there. It was a gentle-looking grandpa wearing a white suit. But that was not the most surprising thing of all. It's because this grandpa looked like someone he knew.
"Mr. Na Hongki?"
Na Hongki was Haneul's favorite trot singer. He had seen the other's face countless of times on videos as well as pictures online. That's why there's no way he could be mistaken. This grandpa was really Na Hongki.
But why would Na Hongki be here? His eyes suddenly widened in disbelief. Because there's only one reason he could think of for the other's presence here.
"Mr. Na Hongki, did you also just die?"
Then could this place be some kind of stopover for the souls of the dead?
The other person seemed to have found his reaction amusing, as evidence of the soft chuckle he let out.
"No. I just took the form of someone who could easily evoke positive feelings from you."
Haneul furrowed his brows. He couldn't understand what the other was saying. But it seemed that it didn't matter whether he understood or not. Because the man who looked like Na Hongki continued without waiting for his response;
"I go by many names. But the people in your country call me by the name of 'Yeomra'."
Haneul blinked. At this point, he should have laughed and mocked the other for being crazy. What Yeomra? How could the king of the underworld be standing in front of him with the face of his favorite trot singer?
But Haneul couldn't do it. Because for one, the fact that someone with Na Hongki's face was standing in front of him, and two, because he's already dead. That second one was the most important part.
He's already dead, so shouldn't it be natural that he faced the king of the underworld? Then he remembered what this man- no, Yeomra said earlier about taking the form of someone who could evoke positive feelings from him. That meant that Yeomra must have not wanted to scare him, but let him relax instead.
"Are you going to judge where my soul would go from now?" he asked after he calmed down.
After all, according to the myth, Yeomra was responsible for judging the souls of the dead and determining their fate in the afterlife. Where they would be sent depended on the things they had done in their lives.
Yeomra raised a brow, probably surprised that he could calm down thsi fast. "You have good mental strength. Aren't you afraid?"
Haneul shook his head. "I've never done anything to warrant being sent to hell. So, there's nothing to fear."
"You're right. You're not going to hell," Yeomra said in agreement. "But I still haven't decided where to send you."