Chapter 3

Chapter 003: Death (2) 

The angel had given Hee-soo a difficult choice. 

Live or die. 

However, Hee-soo was curious about something else. 

He still couldn't believe the situation he had found himself in. 

His side? What exactly does that mean? Are you talking about sitting at God's right hand or something? 

That position is already occupied.

The person sitting there has achieved remarkable results in fixing the world's bugs.

There are still some empty seats behind Him, though. I could send you there. 

Of course, there might be a waiting period. You may have to wander around the world of wandering spirits for a while. 

Is that really the only condition? 

Yes. I'm an angel, after all. Why would I lie to a mere human? 

The angel continued explaining. 

The waiting list in the afterlife has grown too long. Especially the waiting list for Hell. It's become so long that we need to reduce the number of people dying. 

We're even considering converting part of Heaven into Hell. 

Anyway, are you going to live, or would you rather go straight to His side? 

Hee-soo answered with complete sincerity. 

ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?! PLEASE LET ME LIVE! 

Hehehe. Very well. 

Dobong Fire Station. 

The rescue team's waiting room on the second floor was busy with firefighters writing reports. 

Hee-soo had finished all his reports long ago. 

He was leaning back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. 

The rescue team captain immediately started nagging him. 

Have you finished writing your reports? 

Isn't that obvious? Why would it take an entire day to write something so simple? Honestly, it's pathetic... 

WHAT?! YOU LITTLE BASTARD! 

Hee-soo simply stood up and walked out of the office. 

ARGH! I seriously can't get used to that guy! 

The captain exploded in frustration. 

It had already been fifteen days since Hee-soo joined the team. 

Yet his attitude hadn't changed in the slightest. 

No matter how much the captain yelled at him, his words seemed to have absolutely no effect. 

Watching Hee-soo leave, the deputy captain spoke to the captain. 

But you have to admit that guy really is something else. 

What are you talking about? 

During our latest dispatch, he was the first person to rush toward the third floor. It was almost as if he already knew there was someone who needed rescue up there. 

The fire had already entered its fully developed stage. 

It had started on the second floor and quickly spread to the third. 

The third floor was just moments away from becoming completely engulfed. 

The temperature near the ceiling had reached at least 800 degrees Celsius and possibly as high as 1,000 degrees. 

Even the most experienced firefighter would have been risking his life by entering that place. 

The first rescue team to arrive had been the one from Dobong Fire Station. 

They had reached the scene just three minutes after receiving the dispatch order. 

Hee-soo had already finished preparing his equipment inside the vehicle. 

The moment they arrived, he ignored the rescue team captain's orders and headed straight for the third floor. 

Neither the captain nor the incident command headquarters had authorized entry to the third floor. 

That was how dangerous the situation had been. 

When the deputy captain noticed Hee-soo rushing inside, he immediately tried to follow him. 

However, the flames were already so intense that his equipment couldn't withstand the heat. 

He suffered minor burns simply from approaching the third-floor entrance. 

Even the fire suppression teams had been struggling against the powerful flames pouring out of the building's emergency exit. 

They couldn't get anywhere near the third floor, which was already reaching its fully developed stage. 

Just remembering the situation made the captain feel dizzy. 

It was complete madness. We can't allow him to keep doing things like that. 

But think about it. If Hee-soo hadn't entered at that exact moment, the child he rescued would definitely have died. That's why the disaster headquarters director was smiling so much. 

It had certainly been a reckless decision. 

However, it was also true that nobody had died in the fire, thanks to Hee-soo. 

Additional fire suppression teams had been deployed to rescue him. 

They concentrated their water streams on the third-floor entrance. 

At the exact moment the flames weakened, Hee-soo suddenly appeared from the thick black smoke. 

He was carrying a child in his arms. 

The timing was so perfect that it would have been nearly impossible to reproduce, even if they had planned the entire operation beforehand. 

Unfortunately, the flames at the entrance only weakened for a brief moment. 

By then, the fourth and fifth floors had also entered the fully developed stage. 

The suppression teams could no longer concentrate their efforts on the third floor. 

They had no choice but to divide their forces. 

Eventually, the fire suppression teams were forced to withdraw from the emergency exit. 

The scene captured by the reporters showed Hee-soo emerging with the child in his arms while enormous flames erupted from the first-floor entrance behind him. 

It had been a major fire. 

A Level 2 emergency response had been declared, mobilizing fire departments from northern Seoul and even parts of Gyeonggi Province. 

Yet despite the scale of the disaster, there had been no fatalities. 

That was the reason the disaster headquarters director had been smiling from ear to ear. 

Meanwhile, Hee-soo had left the office. 

He looked around to make sure nobody was nearby. 

Then he took out his phone. 

[Hee-soo's Life] 

What a ridiculous name for an app. Hee-soo's Life? Seriously? 

He opened the application. 

His remaining lifespan appeared on the screen. 

The information was displayed through an incredibly childish user interface. 

Three days, huh? How pathetic. 

Above the information was a picture of a coin. 

Beside it were the characters: 

[x2] 

I already used one. Who could have known I'd die in a place like that? 

Another memory of death surfaced in his mind. 

It was an absolutely horrifying memory. 

While rescuing the child from the third floor, Hee-soo had actually died inside the burning building once. 

He recalled the building fire from his previous life. 

Following the rescue team captain's instructions, he had been heading toward the fifth floor. 

Suddenly, a dot indicating a person in need of rescue began flashing on his face mask. 

During a rescue operation, it was impossible to look at his phone. 

Therefore, Hee-soo had installed a special heads-up display, or HUD, inside his face mask. 

The system allowed him to see the locations of people who needed rescue. 

Hee-soo was immediately shocked. 

The third floor! There's someone on the third floor! 

However, the team had already received orders to enter through the fifth floor. 

Judging from the situation, the fire on the third floor would reach its fully developed stage very soon. 

Hee-soo hurriedly informed the captain. 

There's someone on the third floor! Someone needs rescue on the third floor! 

However, the captain refused to believe him. 

WE CAN'T CONFIRM THAT! We're starting our search from the fifth floor! We've already received reports that everyone on the third floor has evacuated! Besides, if you go in there now, you'll die! That floor is about to become completely engulfed! 

The word die made Hee-soo instinctively shrink back. 

He had already experienced death several times. 

He knew exactly how terrifying it was. 

However, the rescue signal remained visible right before his eyes. 

I really don't want to die again... 

The display inside his mask showed that he had three resurrection coins. 

He hadn't used a single coin since his last level-up. 

Nevertheless, the flames in front of him looked like death itself. 

Even though he knew he could start over, his body refused to move. 

Hee-soo stood there, struggling with his thoughts. 

There must be people on the upper floors who need rescuing too. If I save them, I can extend my life by another day. 

It's not like I'm deliberately ignoring anyone. 

The captain made the decision. I'm just another member of this team. 

Just as he was about to convince himself of that reasoning, the dot on his display began blinking. 

It meant that the person's death was approaching. 

At that moment, Hee-soo realized how pathetic his excuses sounded. 

He let out a bitter laugh. 

Ha! What the hell am I doing? 

There's someone right in front of me who needs saving, and I'm going to ignore them just to protect my own life? 

Do I even deserve to live? 

He finally made his decision. 

Strengthening his resolve, he rushed straight toward the third floor, where the fire had already reached its fully developed stage. 

Neither the captain nor the other team members had time to stop him. 

HEY! YOU CRAZY BASTARD! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?! 

Nobody followed him inside. 

And there was a good reason for that. 

The flames were simply too intense. 

Waves of fire rolled across the ceiling, clearly indicating that the temperature had already exceeded 1,000 degrees Celsius. 

The moment Hee-soo entered, he experienced hell. 

The intense heat had already pushed his firefighting gear beyond its limits. 

He felt as though his flesh was being steamed alive inside his protective clothing. 

Is this what being boiled alive feels like? 

However, his rescue target was somewhere inside. 

He had no choice but to keep moving. 

Just ten meters! I only need to endure another ten meters! 

He desperately repeated those words to himself. 

Finally, he reached the bathroom where the rescue signal was located. 

A child was crying inside. 

The moment the child saw a firefighter, the shadow of death seemed to disappear from their face. 

In its place appeared an intense desire to survive. 

Hee-soo immediately picked up the child. 

Let's get out of here. 

The child seemed relieved and stopped crying. 

Unfortunately, that relief lasted only a moment. 

Suddenly, enormous flames surged through the ventilation shaft. 

Like a curse unleashed by a powerful demon, the flames engulfed them both. 

Hee-soo immediately pulled the child tightly against his chest. 

However, his protective clothing was nowhere near enough to protect them. 

The child's screams began piercing his ears as the scorching flames burned their body inside his arms. 

Those screams hurt him even more than the flames burning his own flesh. 

Hee-soo gritted his teeth. 

Just ten meters! 

JUST TEN MORE METERS! 

An apartment in Hannam-dong. 

When Hee-soo opened his eyes again, he found himself inside the bathroom where he had experienced his very first death. 

Right in front of him was his own body, sitting on the toilet with its head hanging down. 

For a moment, he was completely confused. 

W-what? Am I back here again? 

His body still seemed to be burning. 

The pain of the intense heat remained. 

When the burning sensation finally disappeared, the tension drained from his body. 

He collapsed to the floor. 

He remembered the first time this had happened. 

Just one day after being brought back to life, he had died again and returned to this same place. 

That day, he had entered a stream to rescue someone trapped inside a submerged vehicle. 

However, his leg had gotten caught in the car. 

Unable to escape, he had drowned along with the victim. 

When he opened his eyes afterward, he found himself back inside this bathroom. 

Just like the first time, his dead body was sitting in front of him. 

He was simply standing there, looking at himself. 

However, there had been one major difference. 

The pain from his most recent death had followed him back. 

It hadn't disappeared. 

He had been unable to properly understand what was happening. 

What is this? 

Was... was everything just a dream? 

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke. 

You used one coin. 

Hee-soo jumped in shock and quickly turned around. 

W-what... What's happening?! 

You used one coin. That's why you've returned to the beginning. 

What?! What do you mean? Using a coin sends me all the way back to the beginning? 

Why? Don't you like the system? It's a common feature in the games humans play these days, so I thought I'd include it. Haven't you read the application's instructions carefully? 

Hee-soo tightly closed his eyes and shook his head. 

He had already read the instructions. 

Intellectually, he understood how the system worked. 

When he died, he could use a coin to return to the beginning and start again. 

He also knew that whenever his level increased, his available coins would be restored to three. 

However, he had never imagined that those game-like rules would actually work this way in real life. 

More importantly, the memories of his death had been absolutely horrifying. 

He could still remember the sensation of filthy water filling his lungs. 

The terrible pain of being unable to breathe as his lungs filled with liquid remained incredibly vivid. 

Just remembering it again made his entire body tremble. 

It took him a long time to recover from the shock. 

Finally, he managed to ask a question. 

If I die, will I always start over from here? 

That's right. However, we can only give you three coins at a time. And I'd advise you not to use them too often. 

What do you mean? 

Rewinding everything back to the beginning isn't easy. It requires an enormous amount of energy. Of course, it's not energy taken from this world... 

The angel continued. 

More importantly, the more coins you use, the more emotionally numb you'll become. Eventually, your heart will close itself off so completely that you won't be able to live alongside the rest of the world. 

Hee-soo trembled violently and shook his head. 

I don't want to die anymore. It's too painful... 

That's right. The process of dying is painful. 

The angel looked at him. 

And the moment death stops being painful for you, you'll no longer be able to remain a part of this world.