Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Hospital
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My eyes opened.
I'm so tired I could die.
My body felt exhausted, but it was like my mind had woken up first.
What I could see wasn't the ceiling of my room.
Not the ceiling,
but a darkly sunken aura.
What is this?
Am I still dreaming?
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
"Kang Cheol-su. Male. Age 87, correct?"
I turned my head toward the source of the voice.
A shabby middle-aged man stood there, wearing a black gat and black robes.
Is he talking to me?
"Me, sir?"
"Yes, Kang Cheol-su. Age 87."
"No, I'm 27."
"Hmm... The records say 87."
"Do I look 87 to you?"
"Souls can't be distinguished by age just by looking."
"Souls?"
Souls?
What the hell?
I looked down at my hand—hazy, translucent hand and arm.
What is this!
"Died in your sleep in your room. Correct?"
"I... I only remember falling asleep."
"Hmm... Didn't you follow the Reapers from the living world?"
"Reapers...?"
He pointed to the group gathered behind him, all in black gats and black robes.
"I didn't see them. I just woke up here."
At my words, the Reapers exchanged puzzled glances.
They murmured among themselves for a moment before the one who seemed to be the Leader Reaper approached again.
"No one here but you..."
"......"
The Leader Reaper let out a sigh.
"Sigh... Those guys brought the wrong one."
He glared at the Reapers standing behind him.
"Sorry about this. Looks like there was some mix-up."
"What kind of mix-up?"
"We should've checked the Death Registry in the living world first, but that step got skipped."
"Then... what about me?"
He closed the Death Registry and spoke.
"Hold on. I'll call the Supreme Emperor."
"Supreme Emperor?"
He shouted loudly into the empty air.
"Supreme Emperor, we have a problematic soul here!"
The moment he finished speaking, the fog parted, and someone appeared.
His stride alone exuded an extraordinary presence.
Mystic? Dignified?
I'd expected some charismatic figure, but...
The reality was different.
He looked utterly exhausted, like he was right on the verge of clocking out.
The Jade Emperor gave me a quick once-over and then addressed the Reapers.
"You lot, face the wall."
"Ah...! Yes, sir..."
They bowed their heads deeply and turned toward the wall-less void.
The Jade Emperor looked at me and opened his mouth.
"I am the Jade Emperor."
"Jade Emperor...?"
The Jade Emperor called out my name as if checking his memory.
"Kang Cheol-su. Age 27, right?"
In a weary voice, I replied,
"Yes... that's correct."
"Yeah... looks like those idiots screwed up."
"I heard from the leader guy."
The Jade Emperor sighed and said,
"Kang Cheol-su, age 87. That's the day his life ended."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"We brought you instead of the 87-year-old Kang Cheol-su."
This... fuck.
I couldn't bring myself to curse at the Jade Emperor.
"Then I'm..."
The Jade Emperor just blinked at my voice, offering no answer.
"Sorry about that."
"Just send me back!"
I shouted, feeling utterly wronged.
The Jade Emperor pressed his lips together tightly for a long while.
Then, as if resigning himself, his shoulders slumped.
Seeing that, I got a really bad feeling.
This atmosphere feels totally fucked...
And sure enough,
my bad premonitions always nailed it.
"That's difficult."
"What is?"
The Jade Emperor flicked his finger at a transparent window floating in the air.
My name and status were written there.
The Jade Emperor spoke.
"Your soul's already separated. Heart's stopped, brain function's ceased."
Hearing that, I suppressed my emotions as best I could and said,
"Why'd you go and do something like that?"
A faint murmur came from the Reapers facing the wall behind me.
"Ah... well... our team was swamped today..."
"Quiet!"
The Reapers immediately clammed up at the Jade Emperor's bellow.
"So what am I supposed to do now?"
"It's clearly our fault, so we'll give you separate compensation."
"Compensation? Like what..."
"We'll reincarnate you."
"Reincarnate?"
"That's right. Reincarnation."
I narrowed my eyes at the Jade Emperor.
"Wait, doesn't reincarnation mean starting all over from scratch?"
"It does."
"How many lifetimes will it take to start over from the beginning again?"
"That's why we'll throw in some perks. What do you say?"