[Prologue]
"How did you end up here? I've known you since you were but a child. I've never seen you raise your voice once, let alone come close to losing your temper."
"It's… are you sure you want to hear?"
"I mean, it's not like we have anywhere else to go. We two are condemned to be in the hell of wrath for the rest of eternity.
"That's true."
"Yep. So spill the tea. What happened?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that my father… my own fucking flesh and blood…"
"...You just swore. Gulp."
"...My own fucking father had been having an affair with my wife behind my back."
"WHAT?!"
"My daughter. Do you remember her?"
"Yeah. Where is this going? Don't… don't tell me…"
"Yep. It is as you imagine. My daughter wasn't actually my daughter. She was my fucking sister. My fucking sister! Do you know how disgusted I felt when I learned all of that? For ten years, I've been raising a girl who was made through the affair of my father and wife."
"Did that anger lead to your punishment for the sin of wrath?""
"No. No, no, no. If it were just that, then I wouldn't have thrown away my life."
"There's more?"
"Oh yeah. There's plenty more. When my mother discovered the truth, she had a heart attack and ended up dying. Although I wished I could've kept the two of them far away from the funeral service, I couldn't. I was there solely for my mother and tried my best to ignore the two of them. But could you believe the audacity? When I went to use the bathroom, I walked in on the two of them having sex! They were having sex mere meters away from my mother's urn! That's when my anger took over me, and I killed the two of them with these bare hands."
"I… I'm speechless. I don't even know what to say."
"It's alright. Although I spent the rest of my life inside a prison cell, every day in there was better than a day with them alive, walking around consequence-free."
"That's… well, I'm glad you're holding up well. If I were in your shoes, I don't even know what I would've done. Probably the same thing."
The two childhood friends continued talking, catching up on how their lives had gone after they had separated.
You wouldn't know from how casually they were talking that the two of them were being tormented in the muddy waters of the River Styx. Both of them, and the other souls around them, were doomed to spend eternity on the surface of the marsh, constantly tearing, biting, and fighting each other in a ferocious, aimless brawl.
Yet, the two of them were the only ones who hadn't lost their minds yet. Even as they were being bitten into, their flesh torn, they continued talking as if everything was fine.
"You had a tough life out there."
"Well, at least I didn't spend the rest of my life in prison unlike a certain someone."
"Hahaha, true."
It was only when he laughed did he realize that something was off about the muddy waters. Why was it only them who were different from the rest?
When he turned to his friend to ask him, he couldn't help but notice that for a split second, his eyes had this red gleam to them. They returned to black shortly after.
Was he imagining it?
Before he could ask his question though, his friend asked him, "Do you regret it?"
"Regret what?"
"Picking your wife. You were really popular since you were little due to your looks. I could've sworn you had over a hundred girls trying to get inside your pants when we were at college. If it wasn't for your crush on your eventual wife, you could've even gotten together with Seo Minhee."
That was a name he hadn't heard in a while.
"Before she eventually became the country's most popular idol, she would constantly follow you around like a loyal puppy. She even confessed to you on two separate occasions. Don't you regret picking your wife and not her?"
"I mean in hindsight, yeah. But even if I had a second chance, I wouldn't pick her."
"Why not?"
"How am I supposed to trust in love again after what I've been through." He scoffed.
"If I had a second chance, I would take her to bed though. As well as all the other girls who had a crush on me. I would fuck them all. Marriage? Hah! That shit is a scam. I'd only get married if my wife promises to let me fuck other girls. Cause god knows she isn't already doing it behind my back. Whore."
"Wow, you really lost your trust in women. You know you would end up being punished for the sin of lust then?"
"That's better than trying to find love again."
"Hmm… I see. What about your career? What would you do? You were scouted to become an actor since you were a part of that theater ensemble as a kid but you chose to retire when you were in middle school because you got bored."
"That was just an excuse. Did you really think that I quit because I was bored?"
"You didn't."
"No. I quit because that bitch told me that she didn't like how many girls would come to my plays just to see me. I loved acting. It was my favorite thing in the world."
"So you quit because of your ex-wife."
"Yeah. If I had a second chance, I would continue acting. See where it takes me."
"Interesting. Shall we see if you'll stay true to your words. Will you really not fall in love again? Will you become the actor you always wish you did?"
"What?"
Before he could react, a hand covered his face and a bright red light began to glow from his eyes.
"Don't let me down my friend. In your second chance, do everything you always wanted. Do not regret anything. I'll be watching."