Chapter 001 — I Don’t Want to Go Back to That Time!
“Argh!”
Thud!
A fist almost as big as my head flew straight into my face.
The impact was so powerful that my mind nearly went blank for a moment, and my legs trembled beneath me.
“Ptooey.”
I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth from where the inside of my cheek had split open, then glared at the bastard who had hit me.
He was enormous.
He looked almost twice the size of an average person.
The giant watched me stagger and sneered.
“Hey, bastard! Are you even human? How the hell are you this ridiculously strong? Did you boil a bear and eat it in your past life or something?”
I clenched my fists again.
On the outside, I acted relaxed, but the truth was that one more decent hit would probably send me straight to the ground.
Thinking about how things had gotten this bad, the cause was probably that pathetic little scrap of pride I had.
Early this morning, I had finished my overnight shift at the police station and was on my way home.
That was when I saw this huge bastard carrying an unconscious-looking woman over his shoulder and heading into a deserted alley.
Anyone looking at the scene would have thought a crime was about to happen.
I had only been in the police force for about seven years, but I was still a detective.
And not just any detective.
I worked in violent crimes.
For a moment, I considered pretending I hadn't seen anything and walking away.
Just looking at the bastard's size was enough to tell me that going in alone was a great way to get beaten half to death.
But even if I called the police and asked for emergency backup, there was no telling what kind of horrible thing that bastard might do to the woman before they arrived.
And afterward, people would ask what the hell a violent-crimes detective like me had been doing while waiting for backup.
Getting cursed at would actually be the least of my problems.
I might get suspended, have my pay cut, or even get fired.
Fired...
My goal in life was to survive until retirement, collect my pension, and spend the rest of my days living comfortably.
Yeah. There's nothing to hesitate about. A long, uneventful life is the answer. I'll just keep him occupied until backup arrives.
Then I began imagining a happy future.
I'll become that woman's hero, get praised by Captain Kim—the very embodiment of an old-fashioned boss—and earn everyone's respect as a detective who stood up for justice. Yeah. Decision made!
After neatly organizing my thoughts, I used my phone to request backup from a nearby police precinct and entered the alley.
And just as I'd predicted...
I was getting beaten one-sidedly.
Actually, I was getting beaten even worse than I'd expected.
This barely human bastard didn't care at all that I'd identified myself as a detective.
He just kept beating the hell out of me.
Clearly, the idiot had absolutely no understanding of what law enforcement meant.
“You're a strange one too. A human took two punches from me, yet your head hasn't burst open. I'm honestly impressed you're still alive.”
“Hey! I'm Kang Hyun-woo, the famous crazy zombie of Jungbu Police Station! I once fought ten gangsters and survived twelve stab wounds without even going down! You think some soft punches from a bastard like you are enough to knock me out?”
That was a lie.
I was pretty sure I'd lost several teeth, my face was swollen like a balloon, and honestly, I wanted to turn around and run for my life.
But right now, the important thing was buying enough time for backup to arrive.
Forget fighting ten gangsters.
At most, I'd probably dealt with two at once.
I had, however, been stabbed three times in a single incident.
Strangely enough, every stab had missed my vital organs, so my life hadn't been in danger.
Ever since then, though, I'd absolutely hated knives.
Crazy zombie?
Sure, I might have been a little crazy, but I'd only come up with that nickname on the spot because I didn't want to look intimidated in front of this bastard.
Simply put, I wasn't particularly good at fighting.
I was just an ordinary detective who was pretty good at thinking on his feet and talked a little too much.
Wait... didn't that guy just say something strange?
The way he said it made it sound like he wasn't human.
And now that I look closely, aren't his eyes a little too black? Even the whites are black. Did this psycho take some kind of new drug or something?
“Kukuku. You're an amusing fellow. I prefer taking my time with my meals, but I'll kill you quickly.”
“What kind of bullshit are you—huh?”
The moment he finished speaking, he slowly grabbed his left wrist with his right hand.
And pulled.
Huh?!
Am I seeing things?
My eyes widened as far as they possibly could at the completely impossible sight in front of me.
His left wrist kept stretching farther and farther out as he pulled.
Then, from the severed wrist, a bluish blade emerged, dripping with blood.
“Brat, this is your first time seeing a Demonic Soul Hand Blade, isn't it?”
The freak held the weapon—whose handle was literally made from his own wrist—and laughed at me.
Then he casually swung it.
All I saw was a brief flash of light.
A sharp sting touched my neck.
By then, my head had already been cleanly severed.
It spun through the air.
Of all things, it's a blade again.
Yeah... I'm definitely dying this time.
As my vision spun round and round, I saw the bastard who had cut off my head walking toward the unconscious woman behind him.
My head hit the ground.
The bastard opened his enormous mouth and bit into the woman's neck.
Crunch. Chew.
As the disgusting sound of flesh being eaten entered my ears, my consciousness slowly sank into darkness.
“Welcome to Café After World.”
An unfamiliar woman's voice reached my ears.
My consciousness returned.
When I opened my eyes, I found a sophisticated-looking woman standing in front of me.
Her hair was neatly swept back, and she was smiling pleasantly.
Where the hell am I?!
And who is this woman?
Café After World...? Is this some kind of café in the afterlife?
I had been certain that I'd died.
So suddenly finding myself in a strange place with a strange woman left me completely confused.
“Did you say this is a café?”
“Yes! That's correct.”
“I think... I died.”
“Yes! That's also correct.”
The woman answered everything instantly with a bright smile.
For a moment, I seriously wondered whether she was mentally stable.
But when I looked around, the place really did look no different from an ordinary café.
“Looks like even the afterlife runs cafés these days.”
“This is a space created for souls to rest before entering the afterlife. The afterlife has to change with the times too. Otherwise, newly deceased souls would become confused.”
As I continued talking with her, the realization that I was actually dead slowly began to sink in.
When I was alive, I'd often wondered what happened after death.
Was there really such a thing as a soul?
But now that I had actually died and could see and talk about the afterlife with my own eyes...
It was so fascinating that I almost forgot I was dead.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Arang. I am the Woljik Chasa who serves Yeomra, the ruler of Hell, and handles administrative affairs for him.”
“So... you're Yeomra's mistress?”
“Think of me as his secretary.”
She looked slightly offended by my comment.
The woman named Arang began explaining the afterlife to an ignorant newcomer like me.
According to her, the afterlife was divided into two realms.
Heaven, ruled by the Jade Emperor.
And Hell, ruled by Yeomra.
After death, souls were first escorted to Hell by the underworld reapers, where they were judged by Yeomra.
After judgment, good souls went to Heaven, ruled by the Jade Emperor.
Evil souls were sent to Hell, ruled by Yeomra.
Most of the work in the afterlife was handled by the reapers.
However, among them were three exceptionally special reapers.
The Three Great Reapers of the Afterlife.
The Iljik Chasa.
The Woljik Chasa.
And the Inhwang Chasa.
The Iljik Chasa could more or less be considered the Jade Emperor's secretary in Heaven.
The Woljik Chasa was essentially Yeomra's secretary in Hell.
Finally, there was the Inhwang Chasa.
That reaper moved freely between the mortal world and the afterlife, carrying out the duty of punishing criminals from both worlds.
“So you're the Woljik Chasa of Hell?”
“Yes.”
After hearing her explanation, I realized that Arang apparently held a pretty high position.
And despite her sophisticated appearance, hearing that she was one of Hell's reapers made her seem a little frightening.
I'd better watch myself around her.
“I see. Thanks to you, I understand the afterlife much better now. But what happens to me from here?”
That was what I really wanted to know.
I hadn't exactly spent my entire life doing good deeds.
Still, I hadn't committed any crimes or done anything particularly evil either.
Hell, I was a detective whose job was catching bad guys.
Maybe I'd be sent somewhere peaceful and get to spend eternity relaxing.
There's no way I'm going to Hell... right?
Of course, there was still a little anxiety in the back of my mind.
“You're a special case, so you'll first have an interview with Yeomra.”
“A special case?”
Hearing the words special case and interview with Yeomra made me wonder what was going on.
Still, Yeomra was basically the judge who decided whether the dead went to paradise or some horrific Hell.
That meant I needed to be very careful about how I behaved from this point onward.
Ring.
The bell hanging over the café entrance chimed.
Someone entered.
Arang immediately stood up in a hurry and respectfully greeted the newcomer.
“This humble Woljik Chasa Arang greets Lord Yeomra.”
And what part of that is modern?
She's acting exactly like people in old stories.
The person who entered the café was an old man.
He looked remarkably similar to one of those plastic old-man statues standing outside Ken○ky fried chicken shops.
The poor-looking mascot who stood outside smiling kindly through rain and snow just to help sell one more piece of chicken or hamburger.
They looked almost identical.
“Ahem. You've worked hard.”
“What tea should I prepare for you?”
“The usual. Longjing-scented tea with vanilla added.”
“Yes! I'll prepare it right away.”
Watching Arang hurry deeper into the café to prepare his tea, I wondered if secretaries acted the same whether they were alive or dead.
Yeomra sat across from me.
His kind-looking round eyes stared deeply into mine.
As expected of Yeomra.
He might have looked like an old chicken-shop mascot, but just from his gaze, I felt as though every secret hidden inside me had been stripped bare.
“Open the Afterlife Database!”
The instant Yeomra spoke, a giant screen appeared in midair and displayed a loading screen.
Voice command?
And that's some kind of three-dimensional display?
Even if the afterlife had modernized, this felt several steps ahead of the living world.
As if he'd heard my thoughts, Yeomra glanced at me and grinned.
“Kang Hyun-woo. Age thirty-four. Born in Seoul. Lost both parents at a young age, entered the National Police University through self-study, and graduated at the top of his class. Currently assigned to Violent Crimes Team 3 of Jungbu Police Station. At approximately the Hour of the Tiger today, you were decapitated and killed by an Asaekgwi...”
“I wasn't killed by an asaekki, though.”
Yeomra flinched and stared at me.
His expression practically screamed,
What the hell is wrong with this bastard?
“You brat! Not asaekki. A. Saek. Gwi.”
“......”
Yeomra glared at me while pronouncing each syllable very clearly.
Apparently, I'd offended him too.
Like a criminal whose sentence had been increased for arguing with the judge, I once again reminded myself to watch my mouth.
“An Asaekgwi is a mutated evil spirit created by combining an Agwi and a Saekgwi. In your modern terms, it is a hybrid evil spirit.”
“Oh... a mutated hybrid.”
Just then, Arang returned with the tea.
“Lord Yeomra, here is your vanilla Longjing-scented tea, made with a Longjing base and added vanilla fragrance.”
Her arrival was a relief because things had become awkward between Yeomra and me.
Come to think of it, Arang never offered me any tea.
Right?
For my own safety, I decided it was better to assume she'd simply been too busy because Yeomra had arrived, rather than assuming she looked down on me.
“Anyway, you need to return to the mortal world and do some work for Yeomra's realm.”
“Huh? What exactly do you mean...?”
Apparently too lazy to explain everything himself, Yeomra glanced toward Arang.
Despite looking like a kindly chicken-shop grandpa, he was definitely a high-ranking official.
He had that slightly arrogant attitude down perfectly.
“Five years ago, Iljik Chasa Taerang rebelled against Heaven.”
“What? The Jade Emperor's secretary rebelled against him?”
Arang gave me a displeased glance before ignoring my interruption and continuing.
“For reasons that remain unknown, Iljik Chasa Taerang became dissatisfied with Heaven. He stole the Yeongbongan and escaped to the mortal world together with numerous evil spirits that had been serving sentences in Hell.”
“What is the Yeongbongan?”
“The Yeongbongan is an eye capable of storing souls. It is one of the treasures of the afterlife. Taerang placed the evil spirits inside it and escaped to the mortal world. He also stole several other treasures besides the Yeongbongan.”
Listening to her, I found myself impressed by this Taerang guy.
Rebellion.
Stealing treasures.
Breaking evil spirits out of Hell.
Running away.
He must have been incredibly busy.
“However, the Inhwang Chasa—the only being capable of punishing criminals in both the mortal world and the afterlife—committed sins in his previous life and is currently undergoing countless reincarnations in the mortal world as punishment.”
“Hmm... Other than you, Arang, all the important reapers around here seem to be criminals.”
This time, both Yeomra and Arang glared at me at the same time.
“Ahem. Anyway, Lord Yeomra intends to give the Inhwang Chasa another chance to redeem himself by ordering him to eliminate Taerang and the evil spirits that escaped to the mortal world.”
“But... why are you telling me all this?”
I asked while reminding myself for the third time to watch what I said.
“Because you are the final reincarnation of the Inhwang Chasa. Your personality seems somewhat problematic, but you're the only one capable of punishing criminals from both the mortal world and the afterlife...”
Yeomra shook his head as though merely thinking about it gave him a headache.
“You're saying... I'm the Inhwang Chasa? Come on. Seriously?”
I stared at Yeomra in shock.
Both Yeomra and Arang looked completely serious.
“Seriously?”
“Yes. Seriously.”
“Yes, it's true.”
Apparently, they weren't joking.
Then again, Yeomra—the ruler of Hell—and someone as important as Arang probably weren't the sort of people who would waste their time playing pointless jokes on me.
“Then what am I supposed to do now?”
“I intend to send you back five years.”
“Back to when those guys escaped?”
“Exactly! That period is the perfect opportunity to capture Taerang and the Three Evils of the Afterlife.”
“What are the Three Evils of the Afterlife?”
The name sounded terrifying enough that I couldn't help asking.
“The Three Evils of the Afterlife are Pacheon Magwi, Gwangsal Magwi, and Daeryeok Magwi. Those are the names given to three particularly vicious evil spirits. A thousand years ago, those three nearly brought the entire afterlife to the brink of destruction.”
Arang answered my question this time.
“Wait a second!”
Something important had just occurred to me.
“Are you telling me I have to capture evil spirits powerful enough to nearly destroy the entire afterlife?”
“Of course. That's exactly why we're sending you back five years!”
“Come on... How am I supposed to fight monsters like that? I couldn't even beat that asaekki evil spirit and ended up dying.”
This chicken-shop grandpa spoke as though the most ridiculous things in existence were completely obvious.
“Asaekki...? What in the world does that mean?”
Arang stared at me with wide eyes.
“Ahem. Arang, just ignore the way this fellow talks. Apparently, his tongue is somewhat short.”
The chicken-shop grandpa answered her in my place.
Apparently, he couldn't be bothered letting me explain and making this conversation even longer.
“Anyway, you have nothing to worry about. Once you fully recover the power of the Inhwang Chasa, even the Three Evils of the Afterlife will be no problem for you. It was the Inhwang Chasa who defeated them a thousand years ago as well.”
Yeomra continued proudly.
“He could truly be called the greatest being in Heaven and Earth.”
That part did sound tempting.
Still, I wasn't exactly thrilled.
“But if I meet those guys before fully recovering the Inhwang Chasa's power, I could die, right?”
“Anyway!”
Yeomra loudly cut me off.
“You will return five years into the past, restore the power of the Inhwang Chasa, and eliminate Taerang and the Three Evils of the Afterlife. Understood?”
“What happens if I say no?”
“You brat! Must you argue with every single thing I say?! Agh, my head... How did someone like you become the final reincarnation of the Inhwang Chasa, the so-called greatest being in Heaven and Earth...?”
Yeomra let out a deep sigh as though he was completely fed up with me.
Whether the chicken-shop grandpa got angry or developed a headache wasn't my problem.
I still didn't like this plan.
Getting another chance at life sounded great.
But going back specifically to fight Taerang and the Three Evils of the Afterlife?
That didn't sound appealing at all.
“If you absolutely refuse, then by my authority, I shall grant you the opportunity to tour the famous Eight Great Hells for one thousand years.”
The chicken-shop grandpa glared at me with his innocent-looking round eyes.
“I'm guessing I wouldn't just be sightseeing...?”
Judging from his expression, the chicken-shop grandpa looked seriously annoyed.
Arang answered politely with a gentle smile.
“Dear customer, it will be an experiential tour.”
“Then please send me back.”
There was no other choice.
Apparently, the soul of an ordinary detective who had only just died had no way of resisting the ruler of the afterlife.
“Good. Arang, take care of the rest. I have a meeting with my elder brother, so I'll be leaving first.”
“Understood, Lord Yeomra!”
His elder brother?
The only person Yeomra could call his elder brother would be... the Jade Emperor?
After Yeomra left, Arang finally brought me a cup of tea.
She's only giving me tea now.
There's definitely another reason for this, isn't there?
“You have good instincts.”
Apparently, this woman could read my thoughts too.
“This is Reincarnation Tea. Once you drink it, you'll return to the mortal world five years in the past.”
She continued,
“I'll contact you and help you recover the power of the Inhwang Chasa.”
Feeling as though I had just been handed a cup of poison, I lifted the tea and drank it.
But...
It tasted incredible.
I couldn't even imagine that such a taste and fragrance could exist in the world.
And then—
My consciousness vanished into darkness once more.
