The God Who Looks Like Jesus
Following the stone-walled path that stretched out on both sides, I eventually spotted the palace gates. They were shut tight, and floating in the air before the entrance was the same black hole sphere I had seen at the gate of the underworld.
Do I have to get sucked into that thing too? Thinking it would be best to make my presence known, I called out.
"Is, is anyone there?"
"..."
Naturally, there was no response... or so I thought. A brilliant white light erupted from the black hole sphere, and in an instant, my surroundings shifted.
I had clearly been looking at the palace gates, but suddenly, I was inside the palace itself.
"What the..."
I tilted my head back with a dazed expression and saw a massive, luxuriously crafted sliding door. Right in the center, above the door, were the Korean characters for 'Office'.
Korean? Is this really a K-Underworld?
Korean in the afterlife! King Sejong’s greatest achievement, Hangeul, is here in the underworld... how incredible is that? I feel like I’m about to hit a lethal dose of K-Patriotism even in the afterlife. I feel like I need to shout something.
"Hey~ Madam Proprietor—! Over here..."
"Quiet. Enter."
"..."
Creak—
No sooner had that sharp, low-pitched male voice echoed from inside the office than the sliding door opened on its own, sliding left and right with a mechanical sound.
Geez, couldn't you make it a little less awkward? You could at least give me a moment to take it all in. I feel like I’m getting nagged more here than I ever did in the military... for some reason.
"Hoo—pah!"
I took a long, deep breath to steady my nerves before stepping into the office. My gaze landed on a man sitting atop a chair that looked like it was made of solid gold.
It was nothing like the image I had in my head—I’d expected someone who looked like the kings from historical dramas on TV or in books. I thought King Yama would have a terrifying, red-and-blue face with a thick, bushy beard, but the man before me was the complete opposite.
He had sharp, piercing eyes, a straight nose, a confident slicked-back black hairstyle, and the perfect proportions of a tall, handsome Caucasian man. His crisp, black suit only added to the perfection.
"..."
"..."
So, the world where being handsome gets you everything is the same in the afterlife as it is in the living world? Damn this world!
...I’m so jealous of that handsomeness.
While I was busy admiring and envying King Yama, he rose from his golden throne and, in the blink of an eye, was standing right in front of me, staring me down.
"...W, what is it?"
"What is it?"
"Ah, nothing. I was flustered, so I misspoke."
"Hmph. I cannot judge one who possesses no destiny... Could it be that you are the one the Main God was looking for?"
"..."
What did you say? God is looking for me? Am I some kind of special existence?
5252! Oh yeah! I believed in you! My destiny! Get out of my way, everyone! God is looking for me! I’m someone special!
It’s not like some cult group stopping me on the street saying, "Do you believe in the Way? I see a halo behind you, sir. Join us." This came straight from the mouth of King Yama himself!
After a brief moment of self-absorption, I snapped back to reality and listened intently to King Yama.
"A person without a destiny. No destiny... that means there is no record of you in the Akashic Records. This is impossible. You might be headed toward total annihilation, but... I shall send you to the Main God."
"..."
5252, send me already! Wait? A great being finally realizes his potential and goes to God! Hmm? Wait, did I just hear the word 'annihilation' in there?
King Yama raised his right hand and snapped his fingers. Just like Thanos in that Avengers movie, performing the 'half-and-half' snap.
Snap.
He lowered his hand and pointed to the right, where a common, factory-made wooden door stood floating in mid-air.
"Open that door, and you shall reach the place where the Main God resides."
Having finished what he had to say, King Yama instantly returned to his golden throne, sat down, and closed his eyes.
I walked toward the wooden door. I turned the handle to the right and pushed, and a brilliant white light poured through the gap. If I’m going, I should at least say one thing before I leave. Just before I opened the door fully and threw myself into the light, I paused and left a parting word.
Creeeeeak—
Thud—
*King Yama's Point of View*
After the human disappeared, the door closed, and with a soft rustling sound, it vanished from my office a moment later. As the door disappeared, I opened the eyes I had kept shut.
"... 'Good luck'... Hmph, we'll see who has to suffer more from here on out. I leave the future to you, human."
My predictions have never been wrong, so I found myself looking forward to the future this human would face. I wonder what kind of ripples he will cause.
Having opened the door and stepped through, I could instinctively feel that I had entered a new space. The space itself was a white void, just like the one I’d seen in that movie, The Matrix, which showcased virtual reality.
I walked a few steps and looked back. The door had already vanished on its own. I suspected this was the 'void' space common in fantasy novels.
Having enjoyed fantasy novels back in my school days, I let out a light laugh at the cliché pattern.
"Heh heh heh! Well, well, I’m actually going to witness the Main God with my own eyes. I’m looking forward to it, you know?"
"I hope I live up to your expectations~?"
"...!"
No sooner had I finished speaking than a strange voice echoed from where the space began to distort.
Rippling...
Because of the light in the distorted space, I could only see the silhouette of a doll. Soon, the doll walked out slowly. When I saw the face of the doll that emerged from the distorted space, I couldn't help but drop to my knees, clasp my hands together, and shout.
"Holy Shit! Jesus Christ!"
Why? Because he had the exact face of Jesus that I had seen at the orphanage where I grew up and during Catholic religious events in the military. Of course, having occasionally participated in mass and recited light prayers, I recognized the face immediately from the portraits of Jesus I’d seen.
He, with the face of Jesus, walked out of the space, looked at me, and smiled brightly as he said,
"Hi?"
"..."
Hi? Hi?! That’s way too casual, like a neighborhood friend! I barely managed to stop myself from replying with a casual "Hi" back.
I was flustered by the Main God's sudden reaction, but I quickly calmed down and asked the question I was most curious about.
"A, are you really the Main God?"
"Yup~ That’s me."
"..."
He answered so nonchalantly that I squinted my eyes and looked at the Main God—who had the face of Jesus—with suspicion.
"Why? Are you suspicious?"
"Honestly, wouldn't it be strange if I weren't suspicious?"
"Hmm~ I thought I told you not to doubt, but to believe... or was it? Did you not write that down?"
"Write it down? Are you... talking about the Bible?"
"Yes, yes! That! The Bible! Yup, that’s right. You know it well."
"...For now, I’ll try to believe. It’s just, I only knew you from books, so seeing you in person is a bit overwhelming."
"Hmm~ A little doubt and faith is fine. Now, shall we sit on the chairs for a moment?"
The Main God smiled and clapped his hands together.
Clap.
Two extremely luxurious sofas that looked like they cost millions, along with a table, appeared.
"Whoa... that looks pretty expensive. Is it okay for me to sit?"
"Of course. I brought them out for you to sit on. Come on, have a seat."
I still wasn't used to the Main God's behavior, but at his continued insistence, I slowly approached the sofa and sat down.
Fluffy MAX
The moment I sat down, a sense of comfort and relaxation surged from my lower body to the top of my head, spreading throughout my entire being.
"Whoa..."
No, what is this ridiculous level of comfort? Just sitting down makes me feel like my consciousness is about to drift away. This feeling of all my fatigue melting away is the best!
"Hahaha! I guess you’re satisfied? Seeing you close your eyes and wear a satisfied smile like that. Careful, you might die from too much comfort!"
"..."
"Ahem, ahem, that line just came to mind. 'Hey, hey, hey, I’m not dying, I’m not dying~ Why are you making such a fuss over this?'"
"...Th, that was..."
"Hahaha! That was a funny one."
I was stunned and satisfied, and while I wanted to refute the Main God's words, I didn't have the courage to say "no" in front of a god, so I stared at the floor, overwhelmed by embarrassment.
"Don't be too embarrassed. It’s a special chair made to put your mind at ease. Hahaha. Curious, aren't you? Why you have no destiny, and why you ended up meeting me, the Main God? Surely... you won't say you aren't?"
"...I am curious. I’m just an ordinary person, not a saint, yet I died without knowing why, and now I’ve suddenly met King Yama and even the Main God... It would be strange if I weren't curious."
"Well then, shall we look into the hidden truth? I was curious too. Since it happened during my Father's generation."
"..? What do you mean, 'during your Father's generation'?"
"I’m not entirely sure myself. But when I was born on Earth and died on the cross, a Second Divine-Demonic War was taking place in another dimension."
"A Divine-Demonic War?"
"Yes, a Divine-Demonic War. Would you understand it better if I called it Armageddon?"
"...I suppose I can understand it as a war between the Heaven race and the Demon race."
"Exactly, exactly. You’re a quick-witted human."
The Main God clapped his hands and praised me. As the Main God continued his story, I couldn't help but feel that something was off. Wait, what does a war in another dimension have to do with me?
Gulp.
The sound of me swallowing echoed loudly in the space. Seeing that I looked incredibly tense, the Main God smiled and tried to soothe me.
"I’ll tell you about what happened before and what you need to do in the future. I’d like you to listen without being too nervous."
"...Alright."
...
......
.........
............!
"Ah, shit! What the hell are you saying right now!"
After listening for a while, I couldn't help but curse at God.
Ah... is this the end?