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Death was everything.
The kind caress of sweet release, the everlasting promise of peace and calmness, the opulent wish of something better, and the wonderful, vindictive pleasure of revenge.
At the same time, death was cold. Freezing hands grasp at straws, yet the cold touch of death caught everyone. It didn’t matter whether the person was human or not, nor which gender or belief they carried – death came for them all.
The God of Death, the sovereign of the very domains that ruled over the afterlife, was crafted for this very task. Once human, he had stood out. Too weird, too morbid, too cold. He didn’t understand at that time that his fate had been written, for he was to become the eternal god of the dead.
Shedding his human shell, he embraced his new reality, welcoming the tasks like an old friend. The names he gained throughout the years were vast in number. Some were already forgotten, not even a sidenote in history. Others were muttered with reverence by the mortals.
In the end, he was the God of Death. No matter the name.
Worlds came and fell. Deities rose and plummeted all the same. He simply watched. Some worlds were more interesting. The mortals were closer to the true deities that transcended the worlds, worshipping true power and not false counsel.
There were worlds where humans couldn’t handle the divine in its full capacity. They combine stories, make up facts, and dream about possibilities, creating a truth that was neither right nor wrong.
In one such world, the God of Death wasn’t a deity. Oh no, he was the very serpent that brought doom to the poor, innocent humans. He was the whisper in the night, the true form of temptation, and the sweet echo of indulgence without conditions, promising deals that bring glory and favor to the mortals, while he, from then on, owns their very souls.
They gave him not just one name but two.
Samael, a reminder of his divinity, before Lucifer replaced it. In all honesty, the God of Death couldn’t care less. Souls, no matter good or bad, sinners or innocents, would end up in his realm either way.
Amused, he watched. He heard their worship, their curses, and even their desperate prayers. Oh devil, they would whisper tearfully. He never answered. Why should he? Making a deal for something he already owned was a waste of time.
As the world progressed, so did humans. Cults worshipping him slowly moved on. They stopped killing each other and innocent animals after he sent plague and death after them. Death was order, not chaos. There were laws, and having mortals end up in his realm before their time was up spelled more paperwork.
He hated paperwork. Fuck that devilish invention.
Demonic entities somehow ended up underneath his name even though he had nothing to do with them. Honestly, that world was just one giant clusterfuck. Whoever wrote the tales down must have been high or drunk. Probably both.
Lounging on his office chair, staring at the thousands of papers in front of him, the God of Death went on ignoring that particular world. He had better things to do.
Or so he thought.
A prayer reached him. It wasn’t exclusively plastered with his name, but well, the tone of voice – a charming accent and a colorful vocabulary – gained his attention nonetheless.
‘If there is any kind of deity out there who had more than zero fucks to give, do something!’
The message was rude, commanding him around. A travesty, really. But that voice. Hm. The God of Death enjoyed the raw emotions, the soft pronunciation of the vocals, which mixed wonderfully with the harsher consonants, and even the annoyed huff at the end. How adorable.
Dropping the pen like it was the devil’s tool – hah – he gazed through the fabric separating his domain from the spot the prayer came from.
What a lovely sight.
The scene was quite chaotic. A barely breathing man lay bleeding on the ground with a cut on his neck. Blood was everywhere. The second person pressed tightly down on the wound. The first one was doomed to die. The cut was far too deep, and too much blood had left him.
Now, what enchanted the God of Death, however, was the surviving one. A vision in red, though the red was limited to blood and gore, with a nice red shirt adding just the perfect touch. Hair the color of obsidian, adorably tousled. His face was masculine in all the right angles with softness at the edges. Wonderfully bright eyes, currently half-lidded with despair, as he was focusing all of his attention on the dying man.
Well, almost all of his attention since he had the time to curse the heavens while he was preoccupied.
They looked like friends. The care between them was obvious. One tried to mumble soothing words even though he was bleeding like a pig, while the other worked every muscle in his body to keep the rest of his friend’s blood in his body.
The God of Death stepped through the veil.
He arrived at the scene. The smell of blood was pungent, almost overpowering. It didn’t bother him since the dead tend to smell. The stench varied from rotten body parts, which they brought along in some form of memory or penance, over excessive smells coating the deceased like perfume, to emotions getting the better of them. Fear, despair, pain, and delicious disbelief.
A bit of metallic blood didn’t matter much to the god.
His steps carried a crisp click of his heels as he advanced. At first, the cute one didn’t notice him, but the one on the floor did. His eyes widened with a myriad of emotions, yet his voice was restricted. He couldn’t warn his companion of the advancing predator.
The God of Death gave the downed man a charming smile with a bit too many teeth involved. With an inaudible snap of his fingers, the one on the floor lost his consciousness.
“Choi Jung Soo,” the adorable one whispered. It sounded like a prayer, and who was the God of Death to turn a deaf ear when someone so delicious needed his gracious help?
“Wrong name, but please go on,” he purred.
As the god leaned down, allowing his silver-white hair to tickle the neck of the human. Personal space was optional to the god. He could touch the most intimate part of any human, their soul, with ease anyway.
Kim Rok Soo’s breath hitched.
A face was practically pressed into his neck. Thin fingers, unblemished by the cruel world and so unlike Kim Rok Soo’s callused ones, traced his cheek. He was trying to hold back a shiver as those fingers continued drawing patterns. One nail gently scratched him without drawing blood.
“You asked me to come, yet I hear no offered deal? Shall I leave again?” The God of Death was having fun. From the adorable flush to the other's cheeks, which were so rosy red he wanted to take a bite. They resembled apples, the god’s favorite fruit.
Idly, he leaned forward. It has been ages since he made a deal. The God of Death didn’t feel like just owning a soul at the moment. He wanted something more exciting. As his chest touched Kim Rok Soo’s back, he wrapped his arms around the mortal’s body, caging him.
Blood splattered onto his pristine robe. Not that he particularly cared.
“You…a deal?” Kim Rok Soo echoed. His eyes widened. The God of Death hummed. Intelligent, how wonderful.
“Yes,” the god purred. As Kim Rok Soo shivered, feeling the god’s breath touch his ear, the God of Death continued in a merry voice, “You have to hurry. Your friend is almost dead. No mortal can save him. What will you offer me in exchange for dragging your friend’s soul away from the realm of the dead?”
Kim Rok Soo gulped. His chest heaved with effort.
“What do you want?” He returned the question.
The God of Death took his time thinking about the answer. Most would start offering him houses, lovers, and riches, all of which he couldn’t care less about. Kim Rok Soo tried to sound confident. However, as the God of Death was wrapped around him like a large and heavy blanket, he could feel the shivers that went down the mortal’s spine.
Souls were his by right anyway. Most of the time, he accepted the deals just to see the humans live a shaken life. Their eyes would dart around amusingly, never fully resting. Some didn’t care. Others wallowed in misery once they signed away their souls.
A god has to get their fun from somewhere.
“Give me your soul. I will take great care of it,” the god whispered in Kim Rok Soo’s ears playfully.
He gazed down at the bloodied and knocked-out individual. With a curl of his fingers, a black mist seeped out of the ground. It surrounded Choi Jung Soo. Kim Rok Soo twitched, wanting to chase away the suspicious mist, yet he contained his instincts.
“What would that mean for me while alive?”
Now, that was an interesting question nobody has ever asked. It was always just “But I don’t want to die,” and “You will keep your word, right?!” Boring and predictable.
“Nothing much. As the owner of your soul, I can find you everywhere. No place is safe from my eyes and ears. I will not interfere in your decision and way of life, but I can call upon you with additional deals. You may try rejecting them, of course. I am a fair individual, after all.”
In short, the god expects nothing, for now, but has the full permission to stalk the amusing human in all of his divine capacities.
Kim Rok Soo breathed heavily. He closed his eyes, wishing to remove the entity currently glued to him with his thoughts alone. It didn’t work. The man…being…demon, yes, demon chuckled.
“He is dying,” he sing-songed.
Kim Rok Soo had no choice either way. Reject the deal and Choi Jung Soo dies, or accept the deal and lose his soul. He preferred keeping his heart intact.
“Deal,” Kim Rok Soo said.
The mist had remained patiently hovering above the pale body of Choi Jung Soo. With a snap of the god’s fingers, it seeped into his body, becoming one with him. At first, nothing happened. The wounds were as bloody as before. That was until the blood on the floor changed its flow direction. Like a vacuum going from push to pull, the bloody droplets returned to his dear friend’s body. One after another.
Soon, even the wounds closed themselves. What remained was an unconscious yet completely unharmed Choi Jung Soo.
A hand suddenly gripped his own. Amid the marvel, he forgot about the dangerous being behind him. A strong grip sealed the deal. Once their palms touched, a black glow surrounded their hands. It was beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
A mark was left behind. Like a bracelet, it circled his wrist. Various symbols, all in languages he couldn’t understand, daintily interwoven into an artwork. Kim Rok Soo would appreciate it more if it weren’t painted on his skin.
“Deal,” the entity echoed, sounding like a satisfied cat that got the canary. “See you soon, my dear.”
And he was gone.
With him, he took the ownership of Kim Rok Soo’s soul.
***
Sometimes, Kim Rok Soo thought rather grumpily, having them as my friends was great. Other times, I want nothing more than to strangle them with a cord.
Choi Jung Soo waved cheerily. He had no recollection of his almost death or how they arrived at the location. With a wide yawn, he woke up ten minutes after Kim Rok Soo was left alone, looking around in confusion.
Lee Soo Hyuk was quickly called and picked both of them up. He had his patented “the fuck are you doing” expression directed at them. This was the first and probably only time Kim Rok Soo didn’t falter.
For one, explaining the truth was a bit too absurd. So, while Jung Soo was busy dying, I made a deal with a demon. I sold my soul, but Choi Jung Soo is fine. Yeah, no. Lying was the only option. Without any regret, he spun a tale of Choi Jung Soo getting them lost and knocking himself out on a wooden plank, forgetting the whole ordeal.
Lee Soo Hyuk believed him simply because the very scenario he painted had happened multiple times before. Only the memory loss was odd, considering Choi Jung Soo had no visible injury. Plausible deniability and blaming Choi Jung Soo on principle saved Kim Rok Soo’s hide from being scolded.
Moving on, the following weeks were harrowing.
He looked over his shoulder, expecting to spot the demon in the corner of his eyes or something. The mentioned favors were also dangerous. Would he need to dispose of bodies? Take the blame for dragging another soul down? What about other crimes?
His head was swimming with cruel possibilities. One more outrageous than the other.
Imagine his surprise when he did spot the entity a month after making the deal in the oddest of places. He was on a coffee run for the team during his long break. Two full hours of walking around the city, lamenting about coffee prices while hauling a whole tray back to the office. It was either him or the coffee; one would get eaten by the office zombies.
Another coworker mentioned a new café. It was affordable for office workers and not too cutesy to make any grown man uncomfortable ordering drinks.
Standing in line while waiting, he made eye contact with the very demon he accidentally summoned. How, he still had no idea. The demon looked human. His stylish white hair was brushed back into a fluffy, dangerously handsome style, and a pair of sunglasses had hidden his otherworldly eyes until he took them off.
One sentence described them perfectly: If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.
Black like the starless night. Black like the darkest paint humanity could create. Black like the coffee Kim Rok Soo hated because it was too bitter.
Too old and too ancient to belong to a human. It was no wonder he liked covering them up. His clothes were completely modern, yet his eyes were older than anything Kim Rok Soo could imagine. He was handsome in the untouchable way of perfectly made AI images. The ones that spectators immediately knew were fake because no human could be this perfect.
A sly smirk lifted the demon’s mouth corners. He motioned for Kim Rok Soo to come over. His table was somewhere in the middle of the room, facing the wall of windows. One of the quieter spots compared to the other, buzzing tables.
With a soul-searching sigh, he faced his demon.
“Came to take my soul?” Kim Rok Soo snarked. He was annoyed, over-caffeinated, and probably sleep-deprived.
The demon stopped smirking to let out a laugh.
“Oh no, my dear. Where would the fun be in that?” He sounded so genuinely amused, Kim Rok Soo wanted to stuff the croissant on the table in his face to shut him up. He didn’t, but only because it would be a waste of perfectly fine food.
“Then, why, oh gracious being holding my soul, are you here? Do you have nothing better to do than stalk your victims?”
“Sit first,” the demon said, pointing at the seat opposite him. Once Kim Rok Soo had thrown himself into the comfortable lounge chair, the demon continued. “Can’t I wander this beautiful, vast world?”
He got a deadpan glare in return.
“What vast world? The chances of meeting in a remote, small café are so minuscule, try again.”
What a feisty little thing the God of Death has picked up. He licked his lips, already enjoying the verbal sparring between them.
Adorabel Kim Rok Soo still thought he was just a demon, which, well, it wasn’t wrong. Especially with the soul-selling business. Why not use the name humans had given him? Better than any crude and petty alternative Kim Rok Soo could and would come up with. The god could see the gears in his head turning, considering various degrading names with a calculating glint.
“Since we know each other so well, soul and all, why don’t you call me by my name?”
“You have one?” Kim Rok Soo returned the banter with a click of his tongue.
The god masquerading as a lowly fallen angel turned lord of hell blinked at him. What a pretty tongue. He wanted to see it a bit longer. Maybe get hands-on experience.
“Lucifer, my dear.”
Well, fuck.
Kim Rok Soo tried his absolute best to keep his face as expressionless as possible. How the fuck did he somehow contract not just a random, run-of-the-mill demon but the very lord that governed the place down under? Seriously, what were the odds?!
Was it too late to seek out a church and ask for a cleansing?
Probably. That and the devil, not demon, would wait at the exit for him with an annoying smirk and far too much glee.
“What do you want?” He asked again. What could the devil want from him? Influence, affluence, or even the means to contact people were out of his reach.
The stupidly pretty devil folded his arms underneath his chin, grinning at Kim Rok Soo. A flash of pearly white teeth followed.
“Make room in your calendar on the 14th this month. I want to visit a place and having pretty eye candy on my arm would be more fun, so I have been told.”
Kim Rok Soo ignored the sarcastic comment. It was already the 5th. How the heck will he get free on that day?
“Time?”
“Late evening throughout the whole night. It’s the weekend after, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Right.
His order was called. Without saying goodbye or acknowledging the devil behind him, Kim Rok Soo left the building.
Now, how to tell his boss that he will come in early and hopefully leave early as well on the 14th?
Damn, devil.
***
Somehow, he got the free time he asked for. It helped that the boss conveniently got a date the week earlier and was in a happy relationship for now. The grumpy man was far more amiable to everyone, even greeting some in the hallway.
Lee Soo Hyuk shrugged at Kim Rok Soo’s disbelief, quickly stamping his approval for leave as well before the big boss could change his mind.
The 14th came far too quickly.
Not only did he have no idea where he would be going or what the dress code was, but additionally, the thought of meeting the devil in a random setting raised his hackles.
It never occurred to Kim Rok Soo that the 14th in particular was a special day. February 14th, to be exact. He just took the suggestively eyebrow-wiggling Choi Jung Soo as his usual self. Lee Soo Hyuk looked equally floored, probably having difficulties connecting the word “Kim Rok Soo” and “date,” but whatever.
His job was to be eye candy.
How the fuck will he achieve that?!
Standing in front of his mirror, Kim Rok Soo threw a critical eye over his appearance. A clean, white shirt followed by black slacks and a casual, black jacket. It wasn’t much, but it should work. He didn’t have jewelry, never had the desire to own some, or the money most of the time. While the money problem had been solved for a while now, Kim Rok Soo rather used the extra money he had to indulge in reading and buying some books.
The sleeves of his jacket made sure to cover the scars running across his skin. They itched uncomfortably. Holding back from scratching, Kim Rok Soo threw aside the fabric to lather on some cream. The dry air of his warm apartment and the cold climate outside dried his skin out every year.
Sighing contentedly, he made sure to cover every inch of his itchy skin. Once again, he gazed at himself in the mirror. His hair was combed back as well as he could. Fluffy on the top and smooth to the sides.
Well, he could look worse. Kim Rok Soo wasn’t sure he was eye candy, but he didn’t make a bad picture. The damn devil had to deal with it himself if he wasn’t satisfied because Kim Rok Soo was running out of time and fucks to give.
The longer he imagined that smug grin and amused face, unfairly handsome and fitting for the title of God’s most beautiful creation, the more he wanted to punch him. As fear evaporated to make space for the desire to knock some teeth out, Kim Rok Soo walked outside his apartment – lighter and with more confidence.
He already sold his soul…what else could he lose?
Now, another rather dire problem arose. In his hurry to get away from the literal devil, Kim Rok Soo hadn’t asked for the place or where he would get picked up. Time, sure…but place? Awkward.
Standing outside his apartment with the fresh and cold winter air hitting him hard, Kim Rok Soo contemplated all of his life choices. He at first didn’t notice an amused man standing near him. The man had appeared out of thin air, looking as perfect as the day he fell.
Of course, such a creature didn’t remain unnoticed for long. Passerby paused in their hurry to stare at the handsome man with wide eyes.
Kim Rok Soo, unfortunately, noticed him too.
With a defeated sigh, he walked over.
“Where are we going?”
The god-in-disguise laughed. “No greeting?”
Kim Rok Soo stared at him flatly.
“Hi,” he said with the most deadpan voice he could muster. “Where are we going?”
The God of Death kept the smile on his face. It hid the inhuman aspects of him better, Kim Rok Soo realized. Like those fancy marble statues in museums, he was otherwise too perfect to be human. Eyes far too dark, hair too silky and unnatural in color, and even his bronze skin was far too flawless. The smile redirected the attention elsewhere.
“It’s a secret,” the devil whispered smugly. He blew some hot air on Kim Rok Soo’s cheek, leaning down as he unfortunately had the height advantage.
Holding out his arm to Kim Rok Soo, the god expectantly stared at him until he took the offered limb with a frown. Once he touched the soft fabric of the other’s coat, the world wobbled around him. It was similar to staring into a kaleidoscope.
The world warped and wobbled like prisms. Colors shattered and rearranged themselves into something new. Just a second, yet it felt both far too long and far too short at the same time.
Blinking to get the tears out of his eyes, Kim Rok Soo gazed at the suddenly unfamiliar surroundings. It wasn’t a busy street or a loud restaurant, as he had expected. There wasn’t a single person other than the two of them.
In fact –
“Did you bring me here to kill me?” Kim Rok Soo asked, only half joking.
A remote cabin, luxurious in nature with a large porch equipped with comfortable couches and a table, surrounded by an orchard to one side and a dense forest to the other. This place could easily be the main location of a winter romance movie or the next hot spot for a TV killer.
The god shrugged.
“I wanted to go out and eat, but sharing you with others annoyed me, so I decided on a more private setting.” He pronounced the word private with a suggestive hint, raising his brows in a clear challenge.
“To eat me or actual food?” He asked, wanting clarification. It was a beautiful place, but so far remote from human civilization that he wouldn’t even bother screaming once the devil decided he was to become the main course. Far too much effort.
The God of Death blinked at him.
His stupidly pretty eyes fluttered open and closed before the man threw his head back and laughed. It was a bellowing sound – deep, heavy, and undoubtedly darkly amused.
“How about both?”
“No, thanks.”
“Disappointing,” the God of Death joked. He had caught himself slightly. An odd chuckle here and there left his throat. It had been ages since he last had so much fun. That said more about him overworking himself than anything else.
If the living would stop dying and the dead try not to croak a second time, he would salute the last living brain cell collective humanity had left. So many stupid deaths, and who did the humans blame? Of course, him. Who else? Their own stupidity? Fuck no.
“Let’s head to the side garden. We will have a pretty view over the orchard and the surrounding valley.” The god started walking. He heard the soft footsteps of Kim Rok Soo following. A small smile graced the immortal’s lips as he started chatting about random facts he once learned and never forgot.
They were as useless as survival instincts in humans, but still, some were funny.
His gaze wandered, yet it always returned to the peculiar human walking by his side. So odd, yet so entertaining. As fast as a sniper, he would reject the god with a voice that did something to the poor god’s non-beating heart. The more Kim Rok Soo rejected him and his incredibly obvious advances, the more the god wanted to get to know him.
Did he have a rejection kink?
Welp.
Could be worse.
The blanket was a wonderful red. It reminded the God of Death of his favorite apples. The juicy red ones are far superior to the sour green ones. Only psychopaths – and the Goddess of the Sun…which…well – liked those.
“Take some!” He chirped happily, dumping a sizable pile of red apples onto Kim Rok Soo’s lap. Some landed in the valley created by his long legs, which he had folded to sit more comfortably, while others broke free and hit the soft grass.
Kim Rok Soo enjoyed the taste of the apples. Even more curious, he realized the devil wasn’t bad company. His excitement involving mundane and weird facts was charming enough that Kim Rok Soo prompted various conversations. He listened to the white-haired man chatter on and on, indulging the timeless entity to the fullest.
The hours passed, and the sun was slowly but surely escaping. Fireflies surrounded them, and only then did Kim Rok Soo gasp as he realized an oddity that had been bothering him. It was February, so why was there a full hill blooming and bursting with life? The orchards should be empty, only offering sticks and stones, not juicy and beautifully ripe apples.
“Why?” He asked the disguised god, masquerading as the devil, in wonder.
“Why what?” The God of Death asked. He had shrugged off his jacket a while ago and leaned back on his arms. His T-shirt-clad chest and upper body were exposed to the last rays of the sun.
Kim Rok Soo had lain down. He had thrown himself sideways a while ago and just rolled onto his back to fully embrace the lazy evening. Not a single cloud traveled overhead. It was a clear, sunny sky. Soon, only a marvelous moon would shine down on them. Kim Rok Soo was sure it would be a pretty picture as well.
“Why are you so annoying?”
That wasn’t what he had planned on asking. It just came out, and he refused to blush. It was a valid question. An important question.
The god grinned.
“It’s a talent,” he cheekily said, winking at Kim Rok Soo. To do that, he had to turn his head sideways. Their faces were just an inch apart. While the god could feel the startled intake of breath Kim Rok Soo took, exhaling after he counted to ten, Kim Rok Soo couldn’t see or feel the god breathing. Did the devil even need air? Was he created before the concept of air and oxygen was a thing?
“I really want to kiss you,” the God of Death admitted easily. His gaze was locked on the other man’s lips.
“To claim my soul?” Kim Rok Soo returned a bit too quickly for his liking.
“You really like to mention me taking your soul. Is that an offer you want me to take?”
He inched forward. Their lips were separated only by a thin layer of air. Once false intake of breath and they would touch.
Kim Rok Soo was feeling brave. Maybe the apples were poisoned, maybe his head was empty, or maybe the attraction he was feeling just burst. It could be so many things, yet they didn’t matter for a single second.
“Would I suffer if you take it?”
The god thought about it.
“Probably,” he admitted honestly. “I am quite territorial, you see. Once I have something, I won’t let go. To give yourself to me, you give up on the afterlife. You would be mine, but in return, I would be yours.”
Kim Rok Soo’s soul was so beautiful that it somehow overshadowed his already exquisite outer appearance. The god gazed at him with an inhuman light illuminating his eyes, seeing things only he was allowed to gaze at. The need to own was quickly crushed by the desire to cherish.
He wanted the man, not as a toy or as a pastime activity. Oh no, he desired him on a deeper level. This wasn’t a simple game of catch anymore. The god had lost before he even realized what the true game was about.
In a world of gods, where time was optional and not important, falling in love could take centuries. Ages, whole human empires fall and rise only to fall again before a god realizes their feelings. In the same breath, one could fall in under a second – crushingly, harrowingly, and deeply in love.
The God of Death knew he wasn’t in love yet. But he was damn close. Kim Rok Soo may find him intriguing, maybe annoying, and possibly exciting, but love wasn’t on the table yet. Humans took their time with softer emotions. Love was hard, while hate was easy.
“Would you give me a chance? No deals, no false promises, and no consequences if we fail?”
“I don’t know,” Kim Rok Soo said softly. “Why me?”
“You really like asking questions that start with why, don’t you?” The god laughed. “As for my reasoning, I don’t know? You are really pretty, and I enjoyed the way you insulted me in the beginning.”
Kim Rok Soo never moved away. They were still less than an inch away from kissing. It would be easy to lean over. To just taste.
“You have issues,” he complained half-heartedly.
The god cheekily returned, “Everyone has them.”
“Even the devil?”
“Oh,” the God of Death spoke, his voice still humorously highlighted. “Especially those. Powerful individuals who transcend the limitations of humans tend to be more emotional.”
He didn’t say demons or call himself the devil. It was an amusing title, a name that was his in the end, yet it could never capture his whole essence. He was the God of Death. The realm of the dead fell under his command.
“I am not just the devil, you know,” he said. “I am much more.”
Kim Rok Soo allowed him to talk. The god waited with bated breath for the human to move, even if it was just a twitch of his limbs. He didn’t. Kim Rok Soo gazed at him with a calm gaze that projected, “Go on. I am listening.”
“Humans gave me the name Lucifer. They created the story of the fallen angel, the scapegoat to blame when they commit wrong. Far easier than to admit their own mistakes, isn’t it? Just blame another entity and all guilt goes away.”
He could see and feel the blame in people. They would feel guilty before a thought struck them. What if it was the work of the devil and they were void of blame? Of course, it was. They were genuine and honest people; their wrongdoings and traitorous thoughts must have come from the devil himself.
Naturally, the god didn’t have the time nor the need to do something so stupid. If he wanted them dead, he could easily snap their souls in half. There had been a few worlds where he ended up so pissed off that he unleashed various waves of zombies, demons, diseases, and even once just directly dropped a meteor on them.
Kim Rok Soo never once blamed others. He was the opposite. His thoughts were filled with self-loathing. Instead of blaming anyone else, he always assumed he was the problem. Not once did he curse out the God of Death. Not once did he try to blame someone who wasn’t him. Not once did he try to get rid of a guilty conscience by naming someone else the culprit.
“I am more,” he complained.
He wasn’t bad, nor was he good. He just was. Death was a concept of nature. Without it, life couldn’t happen.
“Tell me who you are,” Kim Rok Soo asked him. It sounded like a demand.
The God of Death smiled.
“I am the God of Death. I have so many names that they are longer than any laundry list you could find. So many names, all are me, yes, but also not. I am not the first God of Death, and I hopefully won’t be the last.”
“That’s great.”
The god whirled around questioningly. Did he mishear? Kim Rok Soo looked more relaxed. His shoulders, previously tense, were slouched elegantly. He stared at the man, not devil, with a calm gaze.
“I said, that’s great,” he repeated his sentence. “Dating the devil would be hard, but dating a god, now that feels easier.”
…what?
“Are you sure?” The God of Death asked. “You don’t understand. I am always busy. I am the literal concept of death. If we date and I cannot bear to lose you, you won’t be able to die.”
Kim Rok Soo lifted a hand. He unceremoniously shoved it across the god’s mouth, silencing him in one move.
“Dating the devil would be hard. The questions of what is real and what is false would haunt me every single day. Are you acting nice, or is there a chance that you will end up being more like what people imagine you to be? We have time to get to know each other. Let’s see how it will go.”
“But – “
“Death is fair,” Kim Rok Soo whispered. “Life isn’t. To be associated with the purest concept of equality, of justice, and of reasoning, I see it as an honor. Even if we don’t work out as partners, let’s try being friends then.”
The god was left breathless. He just sat there and stared at the handsome human, who casually flipped his whole view on everything – himself included. He was fair? He wasn’t the one to blame for once, but the justice and equality that followed?
It sounded foreign to his ears. In his mind, the god vowed to do his best to make Kim Rok Soo fall in love with him. This human was his salvation. He was too selfish to let go, especially after such beautiful words.
His hand went up, grabbing Kim Rok Soo’s chin gently.
“Please, “ he practically begged, “let me kiss you.”
Lips descended onto his, and they shared their first kiss. The God of Death would later try to recall the feeling. Was it awe? Probably.
You are mine, he promised silently.
The god may not be the devil, but he wasn’t a saint either.
Kim Rok Soo and the God of Death were a tale told through many worlds. Their story had many ups and downs, not always smooth going, yet both remained true to their principles.
It was a tale of love and apples.
The god dedicated the apple tree to his partner. If he wanted to be annoying, he made sure the apples were green, while if he wanted to sleep in the same bed as Kim Rok Soo, he created the most beautiful, red apples humanity had ever seen.
Ah, he realized, some time later, their first kiss was as sweet as a red apple.
Juicy, red, and delicious.