Clues
Prologue (2)

A heavy, smooth-running car stopped in front of a large building in the middle of Gangnam*. Ji-Won, who gets out of the car with a reluctant face, raises her head on her side and looks outside the well-constructed building. It was a place he usually passed by without much thought, but only when the place was right in front of his nose did he feel a cold energy radiating from it. At first, he thought it was a fast-growing company due to the eco-friendly trends, but in reality, it was a great place to do an amazing job….

[T/N: Gangnam ( ⁇ ) is one of the 25 local government districts that make up the city of Seoul, South Korea. Gangnam translates to "South of the River (Han)". Gangnam District is the third largest district in Seoul, with an area of 39.5 km.]

He expected the atmosphere to be a classic dark and gloomy as he seemed to hear the grim cry of death. But surprisingly, the system inside the building was very modern. First, they had to pass through a security checkpoint where the outline of their belongings was revealed completely under the supervision of a security guard with fierce eyes. And they can reach the front of the elevator only after thorough identification through facial recognition. After that, the door opens only when a fingerprint is taken, and a nerve-shaking warning continues to sound until the iris proves that it is him once again.

[49 floor. Climb in.]

Listening to the clear sound of the machine, Ji-Won gulps down his dried saliva reflexively. Where was he taken for this tight security? If he showed the slightest bit of suspicious behavior, no one would know if he died here. He should have told someone he was coming here. Waita minute. If a living person goes to Jungcheon.., can he live again?

Regrets and anxiety creep up too late. The Chief of Security, who was staring at Ji-Won's face, smiled as if making her feel comfortable. But Ji-Won is in disbelief because less than 30 minutes have passed since she was threatened.

"Is Jungcheon on the 49th floor?"

“No, it's 48 floors above ground. Jungcheon is a place that exists on a different level than Ingye (Nature of the Hereafter), and it is one of the channels for the living to go there. We can't use the entrance used by the dead. Dead person door has no exit function..”.

The 49th floor of the 48-storey building…. Yeah, now he's not even surprised to hear anything. It's kind of creepy that the door doesn't serve as an exit.

“For information, there are a total of 200 entrances connected to the Jungcheon Stream on Earth. If you become a full-time employee, you can use any door, but you must exit only through the entrance when you return from Jungcheon to Ingye (Nature of the Netherworld). It was a rule made to prevent unauthorized persons from entering or exiting without permission.”

“You mean, you can't move to another area through Jungcheon?”

"Yes. If you are confused by the entrance, you go to a different dimension, not another area. There is no guarantee that the body will be fully preserved in the process. Now, come down.”

This is a bloody system . Ji-Won steps slowly, trying not to show any nervousness. However, his facial expression was not what he had thought. He did not have a chatty or overly agitated personality, but it was not easy to remain calm even after seeing the amazing scene before him.

First of all, that area was an unreasonable measure according to common sense. The height of the floor was so high that it was difficult to measure with the naked eye, and one wall appeared to be several kilometers long. It is not the size of an ordinary building. It was only then that the word 'different dimensions' became real.

“It's very wide.”

"really? I used to think it was very broad, but lately, the number of deaths has increased so much that I don't know if there is a lot of space. There are at least 6,000 people per hour. Zanice has more than 2,000 employees.”

As the Chief of Security said, the spirits of the various races continued to rise throughout the floor which was as smooth as a mirror. Then the friendly smiling guide quickly approached and checked the language spoken by the deceased, and brought them to the front of one of the hundreds of tables lined up along the left and right walls. It was almost like a civil service window in a government office. Most of the dead lined up in an orderly manner in front of each of the guided tables.

"What are they doing in front of that table?"

“Deciding the future destination of the deceased. Can you see the meter on the table? When the deceased stands in front of him, his tilt varies depending on the merits of his life. If tilted to the left based on the direction the deceased saw, he would be sent to Ingye (Akherat) to reincarnate, and if tilted to the right, he would go to Myeonggye (Hell).”

"What if it's even?"

“This is rare, but sometimes when it is completely horizontal, CEO Jungcheon makes the final decision.”

"Did a child go to hell like that?"

Ji-Won frowns when she sees a baby heading somewhere in the arms of an employee because she can't walk on her own. The Chief of Security shook his head lightly with a pretty sad face and replied.

"NO. Children under the age of 10 are directly guided to the Door of Reincarnation without trial. It is rare for young children to commit evil deeds to the extent that they pay for their sins in the world after death. And even if they commit a crime, it is considered the responsibility of the caregiver.”

"The Door of Reincarnation?"

“The door on the left there is the Door of Reincarnation. And on the right is the Myeonggye Door (Hell).”

When Ji-Won turns her attention to the spot the Chief of Security points to, she sees two large doors that look the same in the distance. However, the atmosphere between the two sides was clearly different. Outside the left door was full of bright and warm light, but outside the right door was pitch black. Most of the people standing in front of the door on the right were terrified, and many were crying or screaming.

Myeonggye (Hell) door, door to hell…. Looking at it directly, the pressure was not a joke. Ji-Won, with a somewhat jaded face, still rubbed her arm because of the coldness felt, when suddenly there was a commotion out of nowhere. Along with a fierce shout, vulgar words were also heard. When he looked in the direction from where he could hear the voice, a middle-aged man with a neat appearance was seen shouting with a red face.

“How can this happen! Measure again! Measure again with a different meter! How good I am in my life. Does it make sense to lean so far to the left?”

“If you want, I measure again with another meter, so just calm down. You are disturbing others.”

When the sweet-faced guide calmed him down with kind words, the man became even more arrogant and shouted loudly.

“So who told you to put this defective product in the first place, huh? It's okay as long as you do well from the start! Why bother busy people!”

It was an attitude that clearly implied what kind of life he lived in his life. It is said you cannot let go of the dog's habit, and the truth remains the truth even if you die. The man, who was immediately transferred to the table next to him with an understanding of the other deaths, seemed calm for a moment. However, when the same decision was made a second time, he directly threw the meter on the ground and started making a fuss.

As the atmosphere became worse, the burly black-clad security guards flocked around the man, and his madness became more and more extreme.

"What! This bunch of thugs! You gonna hit me now? Let the person in charge get out! I won't move a step from here, I want the person in charge out now.. ”.

Suddenly, the man was thrown to the floor, shouting crazily with a blood pole standing on his neck. The sudden roar made a feeble tremor throughout the Jungcheon Stream. The source of the wave was a large spring in the middle. For a moment, the waves rose sharply on the surface of the water that had been as smooth as ice, and a young lady in neatly tied long hair walked out impassively, cutting the currents.

“I'm CEO of Jungcheon, Gaon.”

It was a fully predictable appearance, even if the Chief of Security showed a shocked expression. As soon as Gaon appeared, all the servants in Jungcheon immediately stopped and lowered their heads politely. At first glance, she looked like a young woman in her early 20s, but her presence was so overwhelming that even the deceased, not knowing her identity, slipped away.

She is much younger than Ji-Won thought. He thought he would be in his 50s at least because he was the CEO of a big company. He heard that the Zanice Company was doing fine overseas lately, so he was completely filled with luxury items. Ji-Won who still sees Gaon's clothes is smiling. Well, Moses Marini's dress. Look at the wrinkles on your back. He even wears shoes that cost more than 3 million won, such as rubber shoes.

With everyone's attention focused, Gaon who looked around found the man who was making a fuss and walked slowly. Then a security guard approached to stop the man retreating in unison. The man, who felt an unusual atmosphere, stood up and rolled his eyes anxiously. Then Gaon opened his mouth in a low but clear voice, standing in front of the man.

"You are a father who beat up his son."

"What what what what? How dare you talk to me like this even though you are so young. ”.

Gaon looked at the man who was very embarrassed yet still spoke out loudly. For a moment, a look of disdain passed through his big eyes, but it was so fast that Ji-Won wasn't sure what he saw was right.

“I have seen many people beaten in hell and regret ever being born.”

“Well, what! You sent a dignified human to hell to be beaten up by some bastard ?!

“Dignity.. You are not even as good as animals because when animals meet their partners, they do their best to seduce them. But you have scorned and tortured your wife all her life. You don't even care about his feelings and destroy his faith. Your wife, who suffered from heartache all her life, eventually died of heart disease. So that's also your sin.”

God, is he cheating on his wife? Shameless man . The dead around him threw out criticism at once, but the man did not take it easy.

“Omong empty what is it?! C, can you prove it?”

“Foolish boy, you better accept it calmly at this time. Even today, your behavior is included in your mistakes one by one. That is, the punishment that you must receive in Myeonggye (Hell) continues to increase even now. You should not take it lightly because you only have one chance to pay for your sins.

"…What?"

Realizing that the situation was getting worse, the man blinked his eyes and ran quickly towards the nearest small wooden door. But the desperate flight ended in vain before he could take ten steps. The man was completely frightened as he saw a transparent sword appear out of nowhere subconsciously hanging on his neck without a sound. His body hardened without shouting. The sword was extremely beautiful, made from splashes of water droplets that shone like jewels. But one could instinctively say that they would be smashed to pieces just by touching it.

“If you do not realize the importance of the last chance and continue to disturb Jungcheon's order, I will kill you without further delay. If my sword is cut off and a wound occurs, you will be put into the mausoleum without the decree of King Yamma. Once you get in there, you'll never get out again. You'll be stuck there forever.”

Deep despair fell on the face of the man who realized that he had no choice. Gaon gave an ultimatum in a cold voice.

“I'll do as you say. What should I do?"

The man finally lowered his head, and the security officers approached, dragging the man away, who no longer rebelled. They threw him almost through the right door. Screams rang out, and at that moment, the atmosphere of Jungcheon that had frozen for a while, started to get crowded again.

"CEO, this Cha Ji-Won, director of the Hwadam Gallery, whom I have mentioned before."

Gaon, who slightly turned his head to the Security Chief's introduction, stared at Ji-Won for a moment and instantly looked away before even three seconds had passed. Ji-Won is strangely offended by her lack of interest.

"Manager Kwon."

"Yes sir."

"Send him back."

When Gaon turns around without regret after finishing what he said, Ji-Won, who has come a long way, shows a dumbfounded expression. His facial expression turned twisted. Whahuh? He was the one who forced her to come, but he told her to leave without saying hello and leave just like that? What are all the bloody threats given to him? Just to send him back?

"Wait a minute."

If he calls someone, he should at least say hello to them. Waving the Chief of Security who tried to stop him, he walked forward and blocked Gaon's path. As soon as his eyes clashed with emotionless eyes, a strange sense of emotion, which he could not identify with, boiled over. The somewhat complicated feeling to call it was just a fighting spirit, but there was no other way to explain it at the time.

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