Gates, Hunters, Monsters, and... Grim Reapers? (3)
Ju Kang-rim stood speechless for a long while.
Gerald, the immortal. Humanity's hope, the supreme commander resisting the zombie plague. A survival instinct that brought him back alive from any impossible mission. Ju Kang-rim now knew the truth behind it all: immortality.
"The immortals... opened the Gates?"
"Not exactly the immortals themselves... Think of immortals as the world's cancer cells."
"Cancer cells?"
"Yeah. Cancer cells don't exist to kill the host on purpose. They're just some cells that refuse to die. But that ends up killing the host anyway."
Immortals were the cancer cells, humanity the host, and the Gates the death that followed.
"Just their existence makes the world ripe for Gates to open. But do you think immortals are the only problem?"
Yeomra didn't elaborate further. But Ju Kang-rim read between the lines. The immortals meant Gerald and his VIPs. And Ju Kang-rim had been the one backing them up.
He'd made sure they were comfortable, provided safe havens so they could live easy. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Ju Kang-rim had helped bring about humanity's downfall. Actively, even.
The pinnacle of humanity he'd so admired was a world of tumors and plagues tearing it apart.
"Well, whatever. I didn't know, so what could I do?"
"Shameless."
Yeomra exhaled a long plume of cigarette smoke as he spoke.
"Ever heard of Dongbang Sak?"
Ju Kang-rim nodded. He didn't know the full story, but he'd picked up bits here and there.
Dongbang Sak lived three thousand years. King Yeomra sent grim reapers to drag him in, but the guy was too clever after all that time and evaded them. So the grim reaper tricked him by washing charcoal by the riverbank. Dongbang Sak asked why, and the reaper said he was trying to make it white. Dongbang Sak replied, "I've lived three thousand years, but that's a new one," and got caught, dragged off to the afterlife.
"Dongbang Sak of the three thousand years. How many years is that? Not quite, but he lived a damn long time. He was a kind of immortal. The war between immortals and grim reapers isn't some recent thing."
If it was passed down as a folktale, it was ancient history. Made sense—humanity had always chased eternal life. Some succeeding wasn't a stretch. And knowledge builds. One success leads to more, varied methods of immortality.
"But there's never been an era where immortals proliferated like now. And they're not dumb enough to fall for the charcoal trick anymore."
"......"
"There are too many immortals in the world."
Yeomra's eyes gleamed as he whispered.
"Their existence blurs the line between life and death. That's why Gates open, the world ends, and you die."
"So that's why the zombies?"
"Yep. Pure afterlife essence mixes with the raw material world, and shit gets chaotic. Zombies are fallout from that."
"That's... kinda discriminatory against the living world, isn't it?"
"Huh? No, no. You think roses are pretty, right? Deer are cute. Butterflies, eagles too. Now imagine a creature with a rose for a face, deer body, butterfly wings. What about that?"
"Never really thought roses, butterflies, or deer were all that pretty..."
"You dry bastard. Fine, think of your world turning into pineapple pizza, kimchi pizza, sweet-and-sour pork mashups. How's that sound?"
"A world where unspeakable horrors... Things that shouldn't mix create a murky hell. That's what you mean."
"You get it. And I bet mint chocolate's the immortals' fault too."
"Are you two hungry or something?"
Yoo Wol-ryeong cut in with a pitying look, steering them back on track. Yeomra picked up the thread.
"Anyway, zombies are a type of immortal, but the ones I mean are smarter, nastier: necromancers, vampires, liches, undead, demons."
"Suddenly going global."
"Zombies aren't exactly Korean, right? We used to call 'em agwi. Zombie's just more crowd-friendly."
Fair point. Ju Kang-rim shut his mouth.
Yeomra grinned and continued. "Zombies are just side effects of immortals existing. They think, 'As long as we thrive in this polluted world, who cares?'"
"Bastards."
"Your swears are weak. I know worse, but Yoo Pro here hates that shit, so skipping."
Yeomra rolled up his suit sleeve further.
"You see the writing here?"
"......'No Smoking'?"
"Wrong arm, idiot. This one."
He rolled up the other sleeve. Beneath his thick forearm, crude ink tattooed in rough script: If you seek death, you shall live; if you seek life, you shall die.
Every Korean knew it. But on King Yeomra? And the "No Smoking" on the other arm was getting blatantly ignored right now.
"'Seek death and live; seek life and die.' Admiral Yi Sun-sin's words, right?"
"Yeah. One of my favorites."
"Can King Yeomra like that?"
"Means the more immortals cling to life, the sooner they die!"
Ju Kang-rim swallowed the retort that Yi Sun-sin probably didn't mean it that way. And how would the admiral even know about immortals? But Yeomra brushed off details.
"Humans can't kill immortals. They're immortal. But grim reapers can."
Yeomra bared sharp fangs as he muttered.
"That's why we recruited you, Ju Kang-rim. You'll do anything to kill immortals now."
Even after Yeomra's offer, Ju Kang-rim stood silent for a long time.
It was straightforward: resurrection and a shot at revenge. Generous to a fault. Refusing would be idiotic.
But that's exactly why he hesitated.
"Too generous."
"Generous enough to complain?"
"There's free pork belly, but no free steak. How exactly do I get my chance? Humanity's already doomed."
"Don't worry about it. I've got ways. I don't wanna waste my limited shots either."
Ju Kang-rim sensed Yeomra dodging. He didn't push—didn't want to prod the boss over something he clearly didn't wanna discuss. But one question couldn't wait.
"Why not handle it yourself? If grim reapers hunt immortals, why not go straight in?"
"The afterlife has its rules," Yoo Wol-ryeong answered.
"If afterlife folk meddle in the living world recklessly, it causes chaos worse than Gates."
"Yoo Pro's right. I used to burn with justice—let good guys live long, drag off the bad. The mess after? You can't imagine. Nearly as bad as now."
Yeomra chuckled. Ju Kang-rim wondered what kind of apocalypse Yeomra stepping in would unleash. Worse than zombies? If blurring life-death lines birthed zombies, yeah, probably.
"It's not just rules. Our side's messier than you think."
"When higher-ups say 'it's complicated,' it usually means 'don't wanna explain'..."
"No, really complicated. Afterlife's as fucked as the living world. So we're bending rules a bit. A little cheat."
Yeomra winked.
"That's why we need you. You were the immortals' dog. You know what they want, hate, strengths, weaknesses—all of it."
True. As Gerald's adjutant, he'd served the VIPs, learned their secrets, flaws, connections inside out.
"I'll let you unleash that ugly inferiority complex, revenge lust, and sneaky talents from betraying the ones you served body and soul!"
"Harsh words."
"Prim and proper with guilt up the ass, but dying to topple the high-and-mighty and climb up, vengeful and sharp—exactly my type!"
"Thanks... I guess?"
Ju Kang-rim smiled wryly. Quick on the uptake, he got it: perfect disposable pawn.
Exactly what he'd endured his whole life. But he'd survived to humanity's bitter end in that hell.
"For the record, not planning to use and toss you."
Yeomra patted his shoulder.
"Talk tough, but I value you high. You might not get it now, but I'm going all-in on you with my limited chips. You'll understand someday."
Yeomra smiled bitterly. Ju Kang-rim felt a pang of déjà vu—that was his face often enough.
"So, ready to become a grim reaper, Ju Kang-rim?"
Yeomra extended a hand.
Ju Kang-rim stared, weighing options. Used or not, it meant life and revenge. Rejecting this? Insane. Yeomra would boot him to hell otherwise.
And Ju Kang-rim had too many regrets, too much greed to accept death quietly. Even after that fall from the top, he craved more heights, more power.
"One condition."
"Condition? On this sweet deal?"
"If I'm such prime talent, treat me right—pay market value and use me properly."
Ju Kang-rim always haggled. If Yeomra valued him high, he could sell higher.
"First, an employment contract."
Employment contract.
Yeomra stared, then burst out laughing.
"Oh, a contract. Of course. Gotta have one. What do you take grim reaper jobs for? Technically, you're a contract civil servant."
"Contract civil servant..."
"Yeah, and your military service counts as experience."
"Experienced hire."
"Pay's 5 mil base, plus overtime and hazard pay hits 6-7 mil, generous bonuses too."
"Salary too."
"Overtime caps at 57 hours monthly—don't overdo. Weekends off usually. Union hates 'em."
"Union..."
"Yoo Pro's in the union too—no calls after 6 PM if you can help it."
"......Even saving the world takes weekends off?"
"Don't take the bullshit seriously."
Yoo Wol-ryeong replied sternly. So the whole spiel was a joke? Yeomra smirked, arms crossed.
"Not all lies. We'll pay in afterlife-only currency—spend as you like. Special gear for the gig's quirks. Missions'll be ad-hoc, probably. Hmm, but..."
Yeomra narrowed his eyes at Ju Kang-rim.
"You weren't kidding."
"Sick of being used and discarded."
Ju Kang-rim shrugged.
"Whatever, just prove you won't toss me. You said you'd use me discreetly—put your name on an official contract saying I'm hired. If you ditch me, at least you bleed a little too."
Ju Kang-rim knew jack about the afterlife. A contract might be worthless. All this could flop. But if Yeomra wanted him that bad, he'd pony up solid collateral.
"Fine. Something worth guaranteeing."
Yeomra got it instantly, grinning slyly.
"Yoo Wol-ryeong, got a spare blade lying around?"