00672 3. Meanwhile, at the same time. ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Does night fall even in a dead world?
In this lifeless world, night is coming. No matter who perceives it or how, the phrase can be interpreted in many ways. But right now, I was experiencing a phenomenon that left me no choice but to say it exactly like that.
I have no idea how much time has passed since I began my relationship with the Hell Duke. At some point, he started responding with surprising enthusiasm, and before I knew it, I too had become sincere. Without a single thought, we simply devoured each other like beasts.
Come to think of it, how many times did we do it? About eight times, I think.
By the end, we craved each other so fiercely that our bodies intertwined with such intensity… It was almost embarrassing to look each other in the eye right after. Well, truth be told, we were both too exhausted to even meet each other’s gaze, having poured everything we had into it.
Anyway.
After those eight encounters, I lay on the ground, utterly drained, staring up at the sky. And I noticed something had changed.
When I first arrived, the sky was a uniform shade of gray, but now it was tinged with a dim light, as if signaling the end of the world. Not just the sky—the entire realm of this endless hell was darkening, like twilight settling over the land.
But the change wasn’t limited to that.
The reason I was staring blankly at the sky was because of the clusters of red light scattered across the heavens and the world itself. Like fireflies, these glowing red sparks flickered and danced, weaving a quiet, dreamlike atmosphere.
Is this really the same endless hell I remember? The current scene was so breathtakingly beautiful that I couldn’t help but question it.
It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling. Such a sight couldn’t be bought with money anywhere, and for the past few months, I’d been constantly chased by the steel mountain range’s assault. So, it was rare to feel this peaceful and mysterious.
Still, I was curious why this sudden change had occurred. I asked the Hell Duke, who looked just as weary as I felt, but he only gave a faint, knowing smile—neither confirming nor denying anything. Instead, he quietly slid closer to me, staring intently. When I stretched out an arm, he immediately rested his head on it and nestled into my embrace.
So there we were, the Hell Duke and I, silent, quietly watching the sky.
…Yeah. Honestly, it didn’t feel bad at all. Maybe it was the long-overdue calm, or the lingering warmth after our union. I didn’t know why, but I could feel my heart growing lighter. The Hell Duke no longer felt hateful… no, no longer terrifying.
“If only we’d talked from the start…”
A sudden pang of regret made me glance sideways. The Hell Duke’s eyes were tightly shut, his breathing small and even. The firefly-like lights filtering through his tousled hair cast a faint reddish glow, making him look even more mysterious.
“……”
Without thinking, I gently moved the arm supporting his head and stroked his hair. The soft texture slipping through my fingers made my mind go hazy.
Then—
“Mm…”
Maybe because I touched his hair, the Hell Duke let out a small hum and slowly opened his eyes. His beautiful, ruby-like gaze blinked and fixed on me. We exchanged sideways glances for a while, and suddenly, I saw his face flush a deep red.
…Ah. Is it because the red lights settled on him?
Just then, he closed his eyes again and shifted his body, burrowing into my chest. It was sudden, but the warmth of skin against skin made my whole body relax. Comfortable. I held him gently, like cradling a small animal. Then I felt his breath near my neck.
“You are…”
For the first time since we were together, the Hell Duke spoke. I instinctively focused on what he was about to say. What could it be? Maybe…
“You should… return to where you belong, right?”
But the moment I heard those words, I had to stop myself from expecting praise like “That’s good.” Instead, I felt a pang of regret—and a bit of surprise. Even if I’d shown it, I never initiated that conversation. For him to bring it up meant he had quietly sensed it too—that I wanted to return to the human world.
What should I say?
A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.
“You want to, don’t you?”
The Hell Duke asked again, not harshly but with a cautious tone. Encouraged, I finally spoke.
“…Yeah.”
If I was going to say it, better to say it now. I answered with a slightly weak voice. Then I surprised myself again—why did I sound so feeble? It almost sounded like I didn’t want to go.
After a moment—
“I thought so…”
His voice from below sounded tinged with sadness. Was it just my imagination?
An awkward silence followed. The Hell Duke trailed off and said no more. I wanted to see his expression, but his face was buried in my chest. I kept staring at the crown of his head, still glowing with those red sparks, when a sudden thought crossed my mind and I quietly spoke.
“Um… there’s something I’m curious about.”
The Hell Duke didn’t react, but I was sure he was listening, his breath tickling my chest. So I continued calmly.
“Could I… know your name?”
“…Name?”
That question clearly caught him off guard. He lifted his head slightly, his face showing clear surprise. Meeting his gaze, I nodded firmly.
“Yeah. Your name.”
Come to think of it, I’d only ever known him as the Hell Duke. I’d never really thought to learn his true name. Actually, I hadn’t even considered it seriously. But since I hadn’t uncovered it even in the first round, my curiosity was piqued.
“Well… names don’t mean much to me.”
He shrugged lightly, as if he’d long transcended such things. But I wasn’t about to give up.
“Still. You must have a name, right?”
“I do… but I’ve lived thousands of years without one. It’s only natural to be thrown off when asked all of a sudden.”
“But still.”
“……”
He looked at me, speechless. Had I been too pushy?
I thought about using my third eye to read his mind, but decided against it. Someone like the Hell Duke would probably be hard to read anyway, and this time, I didn’t want to pry.
“Your name.”
I pressed once more, despite feeling shy. He gave a resigned, faint smile.
“…Mine?”
Then I heard a soft whisper, but I didn’t catch it clearly. I asked him to say it again.
“Ahem.”
He gave a slight glare and cleared his throat a couple of times before speaking clearly.
“Gehenna. If you want to know my name, call me Gehenna.”
Gehenna… I wasn’t entirely sure, but I’d heard that name somewhere before. I think it’s a term used in the New Testament to describe hell.
Anyway. Gehenna, Gehenna.
“That suits you.”
“Huh? That’s a bit of an ambiguous compliment.”
“Exactly as I mean it. It fits a world like hell.”
“…Doesn’t matter. So, what’s your name?”
At that moment, the Hell Duke tilted his head and asked for my name. I paused for a moment, then answered.
“Darling… no, no. You can just call me ‘Jagi’—or ‘Honey.’”
But his eyes narrowed sharply, and I had to confess.
“…Kim Suhyun.”
“Kim Suhyun?”
“Yeah.”
“Kim Suhyun, Kim Suhyun…”
Gehenna repeated my name over and over, just like I had earlier. The difference was, he said it aloud instead of just thinking it.
Watching him gently stroke his own chest as if handling something precious, I tilted my head lightly.
By now, the endless sky was painted with curtains of red light, like an aurora. Beautiful.
“Hmph… hmmm…”
Suddenly, the sound of him murmuring my name shifted into a soft, breathy hum. It was so natural that I almost thought he was still calling my name. I gave up on asking how he liked my name and focused on the gentle sound.
“Mm… heheheh…”
It still sounded like he was repeating my name—or maybe humming a tune, or just breathing softly.
One thing was clear: the sound was very quiet and soothing.
As I listened to the lingering hum, I felt my whole body relax completely. My eyes slowly closed, and darkness crept into my mind. It was an irresistible tide. I shut my eyes fully.
Lulled by that dreamlike sound, I drifted into a deep sleep.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------=
Actually, last chapter was my secret weapon. My ace in the hole. Even if it meant catching some flak, I was determined to see the comment section flooded with things like, “Please stop writing these scenes already. I’m seriously sick of them!” or “Fine, I won’t ask for any more scenes from now on. Just please, stop writing them.” So, I sweet-talked everyone ahead of time with a little “Starting tomorrow, I’ll move the story forward~,” flashed my confident smile, and hit the update button.
But then…
Eh, scenes like this are great too!
No, it’s fine, keep writing more, please!
Honestly, you could write only this kind of scene for a whole week…
Just give us a few more epic scenes, please!
Not enough!
I actually love it, why the fuss?
Isn’t it great?!
You don’t have to go that far…
You really don’t have to, but…?
Hey, wait a minute. Don’t stop now—just one more chapter like this, please!
LOL, do we really have to move the plot forward? This scene is perfect, let’s have it three more times!
Let’s keep going a bit longer. The big boss is adorable.
……. ……. ……. …….
0ㅁ0….
Honestly, I thought that would be enough to satisfy you all, but I guess I underestimated my readers a bit.
For now, I admit defeat. I’ll bow out gracefully.
But when I come back for a rematch, I won’t be so easy to beat. (__)