When I said I wanted to talk, Kim Hanbyul looked startled at first. But when I added that I wanted to know what had happened to her, how she’d survived in hell, she hesitated for a moment, then slowly came over and sat beside me. One by one, she began to tell her story.
From what she said, it sounded like my condition right after entering hell had been pretty dire. The Hell Duke had seen me and immediately darkened his expression before taking me somewhere.
Curious about how the Hell Duke had saved me, I asked, but Hanbyul just shook her head. The Duke had left in such a hurry that she hadn’t even gotten to see what happened next—she’d been left all alone.
While she was at a loss, suddenly a skeletal knight appeared before her. The knight calmed her down with great politeness and led her somewhere. There, after waiting quietly, the Hell Duke came back and asked her all sorts of questions. It was during that exchange that he learned I was still alive. (When I asked what kind of questions, she said most were about her relationship with me.)
“At first, I thought I was definitely going to die… but I didn’t really get treated badly. Actually, I think they were kind to me, though I don’t know why.”
With that, Hanbyul wrapped up her rough explanation.
I fell silent, lost in thought, then finally spoke.
“So, you stayed in the same place the whole time after that?”
“As I said earlier, he came by sometimes to show me you.”
“Besides that. I mean, were you restricted in any way? Like, limited in what you could do?”
“No, not at all.”
Hanbyul shook her head again.
“Whenever I started feeling bored, that skeletal knight would always show up. He’d take me around to see different parts of hell.”
Wait, what?
“You mean he gave you a tour? Of hell?”
“Yeah. Well, it’s like…”
Hanbyul looked like she was struggling to find the right words, then tilted her head and continued.
“At first, I was surprised too… but after spending some time here, I think of hell as its own world. Like, a world without homes—or rather, a world where only homes are missing.”
A world without homes. That’s an interesting way to put it.
“Anyway, it was a completely different kind of world from the hell I knew. I saw beings with their own consciousness wandering around, and there were lots of facilities similar to what we have in our world.”
“Facilities? Like what? Name a few.”
“Just like you’d expect. I saw a blacksmith’s forge, warehouses, something that looked like an altar… Oh! There were even records here.”
“Hmm.”
As I listened, I felt a bit confused. Having experienced hell once myself, I couldn’t quite grasp what Hanbyul was describing. To be precise, I hadn’t seen any of those facilities when I was there.
‘Maybe I just didn’t notice them.’
Suddenly, I thought maybe there were parts of hell I simply hadn’t seen. After all, during my first fall into hell, my sole focus was escape. I never had the luxury to explore.
“Hey, it’s okay. I felt really strange at first too. Don’t try to understand everything all at once.”
Hanbyul spoke gently, as if reassuring me that my reaction was normal.
I suddenly realized just how incredible the Hell Duke must be. If what Hanbyul said was true, then each of the eight sections of hell was its own world. That would mean the Hell Duke ruled over eight entire worlds.
‘What kind of being was I even fighting against…?’
A sudden wave of bitterness washed over me, and I let out a deep sigh.
“Uh, oppa…?”
Hanbyul, who had been staring at me, suddenly lowered her head. What’s with her now?
“I’m sorry.”
Out of nowhere, she apologized.
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“I just thought… your heart must be burning up right now… and I’m the only one getting all excited…”
She trailed off, mumbling. Now that I think about it, she had been watching me carefully for a while. I guess my face hadn’t looked great during our talk. But that was because of the guilt I felt over Helena’s death, not because of Hanbyul.
“If only it hadn’t been me, you wouldn’t have been dragged into this place…”
Seeing her slip into despair, I gave a bitter smile and lightly patted her back as she muttered gloomily.
“Don’t say that. If we’re blaming someone, it’s mostly my fault for dodging the whip in the first place.”
Hanbyul looked at me with lingering sadness.
“And…”
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should say it, but since the topic was out, I figured it was better to get it off my chest.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you sooner.”
For a moment, Hanbyul seemed not to understand. But then I saw the shadow of gloom lift from her face. She shook her head vigorously, as if to say it was okay.
“No, no!”
“…Not dizzy?”
She finally stopped shaking her head and looked at me with a reluctant expression.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What now?”
“Why… why did you hold my hand all the way through back then?”
“Hmm.”
That was a direct question. Come to think of it, why did I save Hanbyul? Was it instinct? Or because I figured we were both doomed anyway?
…Neither seemed quite right. I thought hard. Meanwhile, Hanbyul looked at me expectantly, her face bright with anticipation, which made me feel oddly pressured.
In the end, I shrugged and answered.
“I just couldn’t let you go.”
“Why?”
“Why? Put yourself in my shoes. How could I just let go of someone who confessed their feelings to me?”
“W-w-w-w-wait a minute!”
Suddenly, Hanbyul shouted and jumped up, quickly covering my mouth.
“W-what? What’s going on?”
I couldn’t even speak properly with her hand clamped over my mouth.
I looked up at her, silently asking what she thought she was doing. Her face was flushed bright red, and she was breathing hard. Could she be embarrassed?
“W-well, what does that have to do with…!”
She started to speak confidently but then trailed off.
Right. She probably couldn’t say it didn’t matter. It was more than enough reason to explain why I saved her.
“Come on. (Move your hand.)”
I tapped her hand lightly, signaling her to let go.
“…”
I waited a moment, but she didn’t remove her hand. In fact, the pressure increased. She just kept looking helpless.
‘So this is how it’s going to be.’
I wasn’t exactly annoyed. Her hand felt soft against my lips, and her reaction was refreshingly new. But strangely, part of me felt a little cheeky. So I parted my lips slightly and stuck out my tongue to lick her hand.
“Eek?!”
Hanbyul jumped up in surprise, then let out a high-pitched scream and collapsed dramatically.
‘Is this really Kim Hanbyul?’
Her behavior was so unlike her usual self that I briefly wondered if this was some kind of doppelgänger. But with a third eye’s confirmation, it was definitely her.
“Seriously. You say you’re embarrassed now after I’ve already said everything.”
“An-answer me!”
As she grumbled and got up, a sharp voice suddenly pierced my ear. Looking down, I saw Hanbyul lying there, looking utterly defeated but glaring at me fiercely. She was biting her lower lip hard, her expression full of frustration.
“Answer me! Quickly!”
“…Answer what?”
“What, what? Are you kidding me right now?!”
“Oh. Well, of course I’m grateful. I really appreciate you confessing to me, Hanbyul.”
I answered as sincerely as I could, but her expression didn’t improve at all. If anything, she looked like she was about to suffocate, scratching the ground frantically like a cat in heat.
“Ah, I think I’m gonna have a stroke…”
When I heard her muttered words, I instinctively knew I’d said something wrong.
‘“I think I’m gonna have a stroke,” huh.’
Thinking it over, it sounded kind of weird, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
That was the moment.
‘Huh?’
Did I just laugh?
I quickly touched my face. Not that it helped—Hanbyul was glaring at me with eyes so glossy they looked like she was about to cry. She looked seriously offended that I was laughing when she was so upset.
But the important thing was that I laughed. Not a forced laugh, but a genuine one. Suddenly, my head felt lighter. Probably, while bickering with Hanbyul, the turmoil inside me had quietly settled.
‘Looks like you need some time to sort out the situation and your feelings.’
Could it be that the Hell Duke brought Hanbyul here for exactly that effect?
Only he would know. But the more I thought about the Hell Duke, the more I realized he was a being beyond my comprehension.
…Anyway.
Only now was I able to face reality and accept it.
The place I’m in right now is hell.
And I’m still alive.
So there’s only one thing I have to do—not sit here beating myself up, but get back on my feet and run toward my original goal.
Smack!
With that thought, I raised my hands and slapped my cheeks as hard as I could. One slap wasn’t enough, so I hit myself two, three, four times. Only then did a sharp sting spread across my face, snapping me fully awake. The heavy weight of helplessness that had been crushing me began to lift.
“Huh? O-oppah?”
Kim Hanbyul, who had been glaring at me just moments ago, called out in a hesitant voice. I guess it’s hard to understand why I suddenly started hitting myself. If she didn’t think I was crazy, that was a mercy.
Crack, crack!
After slapping myself, I stretched out the stiffness that had settled all over my body. Then I approached Hanbyul, who was still sitting on the floor, and held out my hand.
“Hanbyul. First, get up. Come on.”
“…What? I mean, okay… but wait a minute. That’s so cheap. You’re trying to change the subject, aren’t you?”
“No, it’s not like that. This isn’t the time for that. I’ll give you the answer you want once we get out of here. I promise.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden…?”
Hanbyul frowned deeply and questioned me, but then her words faltered. Her eyes, which had been narrowed like lanterns, suddenly flickered with a sharp light.
Since Hanbyul is pretty smart, she must have understood what I was trying to say. In other words: ‘Let’s get out of here.’
After blinking a few times, Hanbyul cautiously took my hand.
“…How?”
She slowly got to her feet and asked in a calmer voice.
Instead of answering, I turned my gaze toward the direction the Hell Duke had walked off to.
‘Then I’ll step aside for now. When you’ve sorted things out, come find me.’
The Hell Duke had said to come find him once I was ready. I hadn’t realized it earlier because I was too overwhelmed, but now I understood. Though the exact location was unclear, I could definitely feel the Hell Duke’s presence.
Going back itself wasn’t a problem—I knew how.
But the biggest obstacle was that the Hell Duke wouldn’t let us—or me—go easily. That was the problem I faced and had to solve.
“Oppa?”
Hanbyul’s urging voice brought me back, and I quietly spoke.
“I think… I need to negotiate with that woman directly.”