“Is everyone here now?”
Beyond the thick haze of smoke came a cold, sharp voice. In the dim, shadowy space, seven chairs were barely visible, their outlines faint against the darkness. Seated on them were seven figures, each adopting a different posture—some perched casually clutching large dolls, others sitting cross-legged or leaning back—matching the number of chairs.
But that wasn’t all. Around the circle of chairs, dark shadows stood like soldiers at attention. Curiously, the number of shadows assigned to each chair varied unevenly. Some chairs had several shadows nearby, while others had only one or none at all.
“Well, this is really sparse.”
From the chair where the first voice had come, the second to the left, a voice broke the silence with exaggerated emphasis, as if trying to stir the atmosphere. Two eyes burning with black flames scanned the surroundings, focusing especially on the chairs with no shadows.
“Mammon, Pluton, Proserpina… hmm, who else was there? Anyway, with this turnout, the title ‘Fourteen Demon Lords’ feels pretty hollow.”
“You. Mephistopheles.”
From the right of the reference point, the figure clutching the doll snapped back sharply. The voice was youthful, almost girlish, despite the clipped tone. The black-flamed demon stiffened for a moment, then turned his gaze to the right.
“Well, fair enough. I lost Mephistopheles in Hell too. Not trying to blame anyone, but I’m hardly in a position to talk either.”
He seemed to concede quietly, then suddenly burst into a chuckle.
“But come on, cut me some slack. At least I didn’t get my neck snapped in Hell, right? I still have two precious lives left, you know?”
The exaggeration was clearly meant to mock. Sensing the sneer, a pair of blue eyes gleamed sharply from the darkness, radiating a chilling cold as they glared at the black-flamed demon.
KRAK!
In an instant, a thunderous roar shook the darkness. Without warning, an invisible force collided, causing the shadows to stir violently. The black-flamed demon rose to his feet, and the doll-clutching girl lightly jumped down from her chair. Neither seemed to care as they glared at each other—an explosive standoff ready to ignite.
Then—
“Enough.”
A grating metallic voice cut through, halting them. Though the two demons didn’t immediately stop, a pale, slender hand rose, and they hesitated, freezing in place. Eyes like slitted snake’s pupils, blood-red and scanning left and right, accompanied by long, spider-like fingers curling slowly. The meaning was unclear, but just before the hand clenched fully, the two demons ceased their confrontation and hurried back to their seats.
After a moment, as the restless air settled and the original silence returned—
“The reason I’ve called this meeting.”
The initial voice spoke again.
“Is because today, an important decision must be made.”
At last, the meeting was officially underway.
“Yes. A very important one…”
As all eyes turned toward the demon seated at the reference point, he twisted his barely visible lips into a faint grimace.
“I know. This gathering is uncomfortable for all of you, no doubt.”
Unlike the earlier harsh tone, his voice now softened, almost soothing.
“I’ve already sent the information ahead of time. If you’ve read and thought it over, I won’t drag this out. So then…”
“Satan?”
A clear, gentle voice interrupted. Someone raised a hand.
“Let me say upfront—I’m opposed.”
“Lucifer… I heard your opinion before. You still oppose proceeding?”
“That’s right. As the Great Realm says, we must accept the prophecy.”
“Hmm.”
Satan let out a low hum, inviting him to continue.
“No need to go into detail, right? Not to brag, but we confirmed it at a terrible cost—losing two of the Fourteen Demon Lords. Fire and Fear have sided with the humans. Even Satan has acknowledged this fact.”
“That’s true.”
Satan nodded calmly. Lucifer was essentially saying it was time to back down. His words were surprisingly concise for a call to give up. Yet no demon dared speak out against him, sensing the weight and reason behind his argument.
“And don’t you find it strange?”
Lucifer added suddenly, a mischievous smile playing on his lips despite his words.
“Strange?”
“Yes. Think about it. How many times have our plans been thwarted?”
Satan asked, and Lucifer nodded emphatically before replying.
“The Western Continent, Mammon, Magna Carta, the Hell Duke, the Flower Witch, the Ancient Evil God… all utterly crushed. Some were destroyed before they even began. Haven’t you ever thought that was odd?”
“What are you trying to say?”
Lucifer slowly lowered his fingers after counting off each example, then smiled wryly.
“It’s as if someone is reading our thoughts and plans… no, reading the future and acting accordingly.”
Groans echoed around the room. It sounded absurd, but those who had suffered couldn’t deny it outright. Too many plans had failed, even those conducted in utmost secrecy. Though it seemed impossible, it was only natural to harbor some suspicion.
“Couldn’t it just be luck?”
“Of course, that’s possible.”
Satan kept questioning, but Lucifer didn’t flinch, agreeing calmly.
“But if, as you say, all this is luck… isn’t that even more terrifying?”
His voice dropped, heavy with gravity.
“Fire, Fear… and now luck is on their side. If that’s true, I have no confidence in victory. It’s better to cut our losses here, preserve what remains, and prepare for the future.”
Lucifer shook his head, sinking back into his seat as if he’d said all he needed to. Satan murmured in agreement. Lucifer’s argument was solid—the strongest case against continuing. But not everyone here shared that view. Sensing this, Satan glanced around.
“I’ve heard Lucifer’s opinion. What about the rest of you?”
“…”
Satan passed the floor, but no one spoke. They closed their eyes or exchanged glances, repeating meaningless gestures. It was unbefitting of archdemons, but the silence had reasons. First, they tacitly agreed with Lucifer. Second, they all recognized the dire situation.
No, it was worse than dire. With Atlanta fallen, the Steel Mountains no longer shielded them. The only obstacle left before the Northern Continent’s march to Terra was time. The demons’ future was hanging by a thread.
“Oh dear. This meeting seems pointless if it ends like this.”
Satan chuckled softly.
“Then how about this?”
Perhaps anticipating this outcome, Satan introduced a new topic when no opposition arose.
“Have you heard of something called ‘majority vote’?”
At the mention of ‘majority vote,’ even the archdemons and the Fourteen Demon Lords looked puzzled—not because they didn’t know the term, but because the demon realm was ruled by survival of the fittest. The strong survive; the weak perish. Democracy was foreign in a world where the strongest reigned supreme.
“Don’t think too hard about it. Since no one’s speaking up, I want to gauge opinions this way.”
With seven main factions present, it wasn’t entirely impractical.
“Here’s how it works. I’ll count to three. When I say three, those who want to proceed raise their hands. Those who accept the prophecy keep their hands down. Abstentions won’t be counted.”
Satan rose slowly, scanning the room. No objections surfaced. Everyone still watched each other cautiously, though a few eyes gleamed with curiosity.
Amid the tense silence, Satan suddenly began counting.
“One.”
Somewhere, a sharp breath was drawn.
“Two.”
“…Three.”
The count ended. Lucifer didn’t raise his hand. Glancing sideways, Satan hadn’t raised his either.
Then—
“Ha.”
Satan’s gaze swept the room.
“Ha, ha ha…”
Lucifer let out an involuntary, dry laugh.
“Well, this is unexpected.”
Five of the archdemons raised their hands.
Baal, Astaroth, Beelzebub, Asmodeus, Lilith.
Five archdemons chose to ‘proceed.’
I frantically read through the records. They were dense but concise, detailing how Astaroth was crushed after invading Hell, how Mephistopheles was annihilated, the demons’ second invasion of Hell, and more. And then…
‘…At the time, I might have thought it was nothing, but I never let my guard down. Yet they forced me into a dimensional shift by methods I hadn’t foreseen. And it happened right in my own stronghold.’
It seems Gehenna was referring to the moment just before we reached Atlanta. Yeah, I was shocked then too. I thought I had changed the course by taking Cha Hee-young first, but who would have guessed that Gehenna would forcibly relocate herself? The devil’s ability to realign a twisted future back to its original path was no trivial matter.
『From what I can tell, those bastards are still after you humans.
One thing you must never forget: the future never unfolds the way you expect.
Think about it. Even ancient evil gods aside, I myself couldn’t escape their grasp and ended up moving exactly as they intended.
In other words, they have that much power. Can you really be sure something similar won’t happen again, somewhere, sometime?
Again, the future never bends to anyone’s will.
They’ll act from places no one knows, in ways no one anticipates.
But you can prepare.
Please, be careful—careful beyond measure.』
As I read, my throat tightened and I had to swallow hard. A fresh sense of caution stirred within me. That cold, uneasy feeling I’d sensed earlier still lingered.
『And… this is a side note, but there’s something I need to apologize for.』
Huh? Something to apologize for? From Gehenna?
『That woman who came looking for you back then.』
Is she talking about Han So-young?
『After you returned, she was down for quite a while. That really weighed on my heart.
She must have witnessed something strange, right?
…To be honest, I planted a suggestion in her mind.
I sensed something dangerous and wanted to see if she might pose a threat to you.』
“Oh, so that’s why…!”
I couldn’t help but exclaim. I had thought Han So-young was acting odd back then. The Han So-young I know might have been angry, but she wouldn’t have shown it outwardly. But if Gehenna influenced her, it made sense. Even with the help of my third eye and Hwajeong, I barely escaped—how could Han So-young have stood a chance?
『Heh. In the end, I didn’t get a clear answer, but I want you to know this.
That woman… well, she radiated an eerie aura unlike any human. She seemed somewhat aware of it and cautious. If you were to strip away all her layers and see her primordial form, her true nature might be revealed.
Be careful with this too. Whether you choose to keep her close or not is entirely up to you, but if you do, be prepared. The fate of men who keep such a woman by their side rarely ends well. Though, she’s far beyond just some mere enchantress.
If you slip up, you might end up bound to her for life.
Ah, I mean that in a… sexual sense.』
“Bound, huh.”
I laughed awkwardly, then shook my head firmly. There was no way things could ever develop like that with Han So-young—not anymore, at least. I’d drawn a clear line back then.
『As I write this, I keep wondering.
Is it because of lingering feelings…?
I wonder how you feel reading this.
Are you blaming me? Thinking I’m some incomprehensible woman?』
Yeah. I’m curious about that too. Even if it’s not outright blame, I don’t understand why she left without a word.
『I’m sorry. Truly sorry. But I had no other choice.』
Then why?
『Because I couldn’t face saying goodbye to you with a smile.』
The moment I questioned her, her eyes suddenly hardened.
『I’m a wicked woman. The longer I stayed by your side, the more twisted my thoughts became.
Every time I saw you pleading with your eyes to stay, I felt a little hurt.
It was inevitable that I couldn’t remain here.
So you should have come to hell instead.』
I couldn’t deny that.
『Honestly, I thought about it many times.
Should I just close my eyes and quietly replenish my sacrifices without you knowing? Or should I forcefully drag you to hell with me?』
Ugh… that’s a terrifying thought.
『But I couldn’t do that.
In the end, one of us would have to sacrifice.
And since I have a mission to fulfill in hell, you must have your own purpose in this world.
Thinking that way made me ashamed of my selfishness.
The important thing is, even then, my greed didn’t disappear.
So I had no choice but to make a decision.』
As I focused, I realized there wasn’t much left of the record. My heart pounding, I lowered my eyes.
『Suhyun, Suhyun, Suhyun.
Don’t you think I wanted to be by your side? To be the woman loved by a man like you?
But the true way to protect you was not to cling to my desires, but to leave as soon as possible.
Do you understand what I’m saying?』
I do. I might not have before, but after hearing from my brother, I realized something. Gehenna wasn’t just watching me—she was seeing everything I’d built, judging, thinking, and acting accordingly.
『Call me cowardly if you want.
Hate me and blame me right now if you must.
I’m the one who ran away, and I’ll bear it.
But if I have one wish…
When countless years have passed and you remember me,
Please try to understand me.
Suhyun.
You will, won’t you?
One day, you’ll understand me.
You’ll understand the heart that loved Kim Suhyun…』
Maybe it was the anguish etched in her words, but Gehenna’s heartfelt confession made the breath I’d been holding slip out. When I finally saw the blank space below, I realized I was smiling. It was strange—my heart felt heavy, but my face was smiling. Ha ha, ha ha.
Unable to hold it in, I stepped out onto the terrace. Looking up at the vast night sky, my chest felt open and free. It was strange. Just moments ago, I was exhausted, but now I felt refreshed, as if washed clean.
I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. Holding the record’s edge to the burning tip, black soot slowly spread and caught fire.
After a moment, seeing the corner of the record blaze, I tossed it into the air without hesitation.
“Don’t you still have parts you haven’t read…?”
Hwajeong’s cautious voice echoed in my ear.
I hadn’t looked at the front, but I didn’t need to. The warnings about demons, the concern for me, the confession about Han So-young, Gehenna’s own heart laid bare—I’d felt it all more than enough. No need to read further. Better to stop here than to keep going and feel some strange emotion. Somehow, I think I understand how Gehenna felt when she left without a word.
I gazed at the sky. The record, more than half burned, fluttered slowly in the wind, drifting down like a wave. Sparks danced and vanished like a fleeting flame.
As the record burned away, the knot in my chest began to melt. Breathing in the cold night air, my heart felt cool and relieved. My mind felt so clear I wanted to open it wide. I felt like shouting out loud.
But I couldn’t. Instead, I stared intently at the small embers painting the dawn sky. The night scene was clearer than it had been in a long time.
At last, I smiled—not a forced grin, but a genuine one.
Maybe…
I’ve finally awakened from that night’s dream.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Han So-young >>>>>>>>>>> Other Women.
What the exact criteria are, I’ll leave to your imagination. (__ )*