Time passes.
After Behemoth whisked Kim Hanbyul away, Gehenna remained silent for quite a while. I wished she would at least tell me why, but her expression said she didn’t even know what to say herself. I could only cautiously guess it had something to do with my return, so I held my tongue. Though I was being treated fairly well for now, reality was harsh and cold. The dynamics hadn’t changed—Gehenna was still in the dominant position, and I wasn’t in any place to make demands. Unless it was a favor, that is.
“So, here’s the thing.”
It was only after about five minutes that Gehenna finally spoke. I felt tension rising naturally and straightened my posture. Would she allow me to leave? Or was there some other problem I didn’t know about?
As all these thoughts raced through my mind—
“Actually, Behemoth’s words aren’t entirely correct.”
Her first words caught me off guard.
“Huh?”
“Well, I mean! It’s not that what he said is completely wrong, but it’s not exactly right either…?”
Her voice trailed off, growing quieter and more hesitant. Yeah, even I wasn’t sure what she meant, so I could only imagine how confused she must be.
I fixed my gaze on her, silently asking her to explain more clearly. But once flustered, she seemed unable to recover, wearing an expression so pitiful it was almost indescribable. I mulled over her words carefully.
Gehenna said Behemoth’s statement could be right or wrong. He was referring to her pregnancy. In other words, the king’s conception was uncertain.
That thought made me speak cautiously.
“So, you’re saying it’s not certain that you’re actually pregnant?”
“Yes! Exactly! That’s what I’m saying!”
Gehenna exclaimed with delight, almost like Archimedes shouting “Eureka!” upon seeing water overflow in a bath.
“But even if that’s true…”
I paused, then continued slowly.
“What about the changes in the Mukgan realm? What happens to that?”
It wasn’t a loaded question—I just wanted to clarify the concept. Even if Gehenna was right, I clearly remembered the changes in the Mukgan realm after our encounter. Isn’t that strange? If the king’s conception isn’t certain, why did a world that had remained unchanged for thousands of years suddenly shift?
Maybe I was being a bit picky, but I thought this part needed to be nailed down for sure. Then—
“…!”
Unfortunately, Gehenna answered again with her expression. Her face, which had been smiling moments ago, stiffened as if struck at the core. Watching her lips tremble like a flower bud, I felt my own head spinning. Even setting aside how far off from my expectations this was, I couldn’t even guess what she wanted to say.
—Ugh, my head hurts… Kim Suhyun. What exactly is she trying to get me to do?
Hwa-jeong, who had been silently listening, finally broke the long silence.
I shrugged.
‘How should I know? I’m just as confused as you are.’
“Ugh. To think someone like her is on the same level as me… it’s embarrassing. Hey, hey, maybe she just wants to sleep with you more?”
Huh? She wants to sleep with me more? That hellish archduchess, Gehenna?
“…Come on, you really say the darndest things.”
I laughed dryly, thinking there was no way that was true.
“Well… she is a supreme being, so she probably wouldn’t have such shameless thoughts, right?”
Hwa-jeong muttered weakly, sharing my skepticism.
Then, suddenly—
“Ahem. Behemoth knows nothing. He spoke carelessly, believing falsehoods. That’s why I punished him earlier.”
With an awkward cough, Gehenna’s quiet voice cut through the air. Looking up, I saw her face had calmed somewhat.
She began to speak.
“Think about it. Not only Mukgan, but even the Great Choyeol—entry is only possible with my permission. I’m just a legion commander, after all. How much could I really know? The secrets behind the birth and death of Mukgan are mysteries even to the commanders.”
“Oh. Is that so? Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
That actually did make sense. There could be areas even commanders couldn’t access. And if it’s a secret, it explains why Gehenna hesitated to speak freely earlier.
“Then, can you tell me about this secret? After all, I’m cooperating in this.”
I almost said “as the king’s father,” but felt embarrassed and settled on “cooperating.”
“Hmm. Very well. But what I’m about to tell you must never be revealed to anyone.”
Gehenna nodded decisively, as if there was no problem with that. Then she took a deep breath and began to steady herself. That’s something you do when you’re nervous… If Gehenna was this tense, it must be a truly enormous secret.
After making me promise repeatedly not to tell a soul, she glanced at me a few times. Then, unlike her earlier confident nod, she spoke with a reluctant tone.
“Starting from the entrance to Hell, called Deunghwal, all the way to Mukgan, the king’s domain. As you know, Hell is divided into eight sections.”
“So, from Deunghwal upward, each section is a higher level?”
“Exactly. Each section is an independent world, but they’re also connected in sequence by the Outer Tower.”
“Makes sense.”
“Thinking that way, the most important section is undoubtedly Mukgan. It’s the king’s residence and encompasses all the other sections.”
“Encompasses… I get it.”
Hearing this, I began to understand why Gehenna desired the king so much. In modern terms, Hell was basically in an anarchic state.
At that moment, Gehenna’s eyes shifted slightly to the side as she looked at me.
“Then… you must remember the ritual we performed together in Mukgan.”
I felt a bit embarrassed for a moment but pushed it aside. Our relationship was a form of cooperation aimed at the king’s birth—nothing more, nothing less. That’s probably why Gehenna used the word “ritual.”
I gave a bitter smile and nodded.
Then—
“At that time, we performed a total of eight rituals.”
“Yeah, that’s right… huh?”
“And as I just said, Mukgan is the eighth section.”
“…?”
What am I even hearing? Why does this feel like we’re going off on a tangent?
“Um… Gehenna? Something feels a little off…”
“Q-Quiet! I’m still speaking, aren’t I?”
I tried to ask why it felt strange, but Gehenna suddenly raised her voice, snapping irritably. Her cheeks were flushed, and she still wasn’t looking at me.
“I know you think it’s strange. But it can’t be helped. As I said, Mukgan encompasses all sections. Therefore, a proper and lengthy ritual must be performed.”
“A lengthy ritual?”
“Yes. To put it simply, you and I… must continue the ritual we began in Mukgan even here, in the Great Choyeol!”
“…”
At that moment, all the disbelief inside me packed up neatly and walked out with a sly grin. Trying to catch it before it left, I barely managed to speak.
“So, since Great Choyeol is the seventh section, does that mean we have to… you know, be together seven times here?”
Gehenna flinched and shrank back.
“Six times in Choyeol?”
She flinched again, then nodded cautiously.
In the end, my disbelief gave up and left the house.
No, seriously…
—This is insane! What kind of nonsense is this? What does the number of sections have to do with how many times we…?
Hwa-jeong voiced exactly what I wanted to say.
“That’s not just nonsense, that’s complete bullshit.”
“See? I knew it. I was right all along!”
“Anyway, it just means she wants to sleep with you more!”
“J-Just a few times and she’s already hooked, huh?”
“Shameless!”
Hwa-jeong was practically losing her mind. I felt the same way. Not exactly angry—more like utterly deflated. I thought we were about to discuss something important, and then this… It was pure nonsense.
A long sigh escaped me for no reason. Maybe Gehenna heard it, because she forced a faint smile but couldn’t hide the shadow of gloom on her face. Yeah, she must know too.
I didn’t know what to say.
In the end, I decided to confront it head-on.
“So, what you’re really saying is… you want to be with me a little longer?”
“W-What are you talking about? That’s ridiculous nonsense, even for you!”
As expected, Gehenna denied it fiercely.
“You actually think I’m nothing more than a shameless creature chasing after mere physical pleasure…? How disappointing you are, my dear! This is a perfectly just request, made for the revival of our world!”
Gehenna frowned slightly but declared her words with unwavering confidence. On the surface, it sounded so noble—truly a lofty purpose.
Yet, the anxious tremble in her crimson eyes and the desperate expression shadowing her face betrayed her true feelings. Though her lips denied it, her body’s reaction was brutally honest.
Honestly, it wasn’t all bad. After all, it meant Gehenna wanted me.
But regardless of that, I had to return to the human world. This was one request I absolutely could not compromise on. Even if it meant adding a vague “someday” to the promise, I knew all too well that the longer I stayed in hell, the worse things would get… in more ways than one.
With that resolve, I steadied myself and looked Gehenna straight in the eyes.
“Gehenna, I know how you feel, and I truly appreciate it. But I’m really sorry. I want to go back to the human world now.”
Ah. I said it. There was no turning back now.
—Oh wow~ That’s refreshing! Yes! That’s exactly it! Our Kim Soo-hyun is absolutely stunning! Well done, well done!
Hwa-jeong, unusually, praised me enthusiastically.
Bolstered by Hwa-jeong’s support, I managed to compose myself and was surprised to see Gehenna wearing an unexpectedly calm expression.
“…I-is that so? I see.”
No. It wasn’t really a surprise.
Gehenna’s calmness lasted only a moment. Suddenly, her eyes, which had been meeting mine, filled with tears. Her lips trembled as she muttered softly, then she pouted her lower lip. Her gaze dropped pitifully, and her pale, luscious shoulders began to shake faintly. I hadn’t expected such a reaction.
After a moment, a slightly wet voice came from her.
“I tried so hard… and gave you good things…”
I quickly lifted my chin.
“Oh, this? W-want me to give it back?”
“There are many other good things in other places… I want to give those too…”
“T-that’s kind of you, but still…”
“You… you’re really cruel… truly, truly cruel…”
Her voice broke into a sob.
“You’re the first partner I’ve ever had… How cold must your heart be to treat me so heartlessly…”
“Gehenna, that’s not it. There’s an old saying that the sooner the parting, the better…”
“Enough. I’m not asking you to stay with me forever, just seven nights, and you don’t even want that.”
“…”
Her pleading voice continued, and I felt my firm resolve begin to waver.
“This child is partly mine, but also yours.
Just thinking about raising them without a father is heartbreaking…
Yes, even if it’s just me.
Don’t you feel sorry, don’t you feel pity for the baby who will be born…?”
Suddenly, Gehenna wrapped her hands gently around her belly and lifted her head slightly. When our eyes met, filled with aching sorrow, a sudden, powerful shock hit me like a blow to the head.
I was reminded of something Woo Jeong-min once said about Won Hye-soo.
“She seemed to know there was a child inside her. She held her belly and looked at me so desperately… At that moment, I felt an indescribable emotion.”
Gehenna’s voice continued.
“At the very least… at the very least, the child to be born should know who their father was. What kind of man he was.”
The moment I heard that, I—
“…Is it really so hard to give me the time to say that?”
Something inside me, something that had bound me tightly all this time, slowly began to unravel.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
At last, the cover by Han So-young is here.
If you want to truly appreciate this cover, you need to see the original. The level of detail is incredible. When I first saw the artwork, I finally understood what it means to be completely mesmerized. Haha.
To view the original, click on my work on your PC. On the right menu, you’ll see a section called ‘Work Settings.’ At the very top, click on the text, and a photo will pop up. Click that photo once more to see the original. You’ll feel the emotions much more deeply than with the small cover image. :)