Rubber skidding across asphault. An impact unparalled even by a stampeding herd of elephants in the Western Sahara. The distict sound of metal crunching and being forced to mesh together... and possibly of shattering bones as redness fills your vision. Screams and car horns are the last sounds that reach you before you plummet into darkness.

All sounds stop. It feels as if the world has closed around you, cutting off all of your senses except for your sight until you take a shaky step forward, towards a blinding light, and hear the click of your high heel against some kind of stone. Your eyes travel down and your vision is instantly bombarded by a brilliantly white marble walkway that's edged with what appear to be clouds. Your head slowly raises again without you consciously telling it to move and your legs continue moving forward of their own accord, toward that blinding light ahead. You try to gasp, to breathe, but your lungs refuse to move. Unlike before, you can no longer feel your pulse pounding in your temple as you try to think. It's as if your entire body has been turned over to the control of another being and you're simply awake for the ride. The only sound that reaches your ears is the distinct clicking of your 3-inch, white heels against that fantastic marble. 

The journey continues for what feels like an eternity, but soon the walkway opens up. A sudden flash of light hits your overly-sensitive eyes like a dagger, but your throw your hands up to block out as much of it as you can.

"I'm so sorry about that miss. It happens to everyone who tries to pass through here," says a calm, deeply masculine voice from somewhere ahead of you.

You instantly lift your head up again and notice an exquisite gateway has appeared before you. The voice you'd just heard seems to belong to a slightly older gentleman who is sitting inside of a small booth, like a security guard in front of a millionaire's mansion that checks for identification. A gentle smile rests on his face even though his eyes are glued to a large book that's open in front of him. He seems to be checking for something.

"W-Where is here exactly?" your own voice surprises you as you look up at the man.

He slowly pulls his attention away from the book, his eyes showing a small amount of pity.

"Why, Heaven's Gate of course. You were killed only minutes ago in a car crash, my dear," he says in a kind, yet also sad voice. "There've been too many of you youngsters dying in automobiles lately... It seems more and more of you show up at these gates each day. Such a pity that mankind had to invent such dangerous contraptions..." he adds with a slight shake of his head.

You feel your eyes widen as you try to take in what he's just said. 

"S-So I'm.... d-dead?" you ask weakly.

The man simply nods and takes out a small, telescope-like object and aims it directly at your heart. "Hold still, hun. I need to make sure your heart has reached all of its checkpoints before I can let you through these gates," he says softly as he looks through the strange device.

You freeze in place, wondering for a moment why you can't feel your heart racing. Then it hits you. You're dead. There's no reason for your heart to be beating. You bite your lip softly, hoping that that action won't throw off whatever sort of results the man is trying to get. After a few more moments he looks up at you and shakes his head slightly.

"You, my dear, are far too innocent to have truly been happy in life. Never in love. Never made love. But most importantly, you never even got to see your soul mate. Such a pity... But dear, I'm going to have to send you back. Your life is going to be turned completely upside-down, but I can't let you through until you've at least made eye contact with your soul mate," he says in a slightly sad tone. 

"W-Wait... I'm going back to Earth? I-Into the wreckage?"

"Back to Earth, yes. But your body is waiting for you in the Seoul hospital. Unfortunately, all you will remember is your basic personal information, your mom and dad's faces, and the checkpoints that I am about to list for you. You must make it to these checkpoints in your life before I can accept you through these gates. Now listen carefully," he instructs as he puts the telescope thing away and focuses completely on you. He takes a slight pause to be sure you're giving him your utmost attention, then continues. "First, you must fall in love. A simple crush will not count. You must be in love with someone until you know that you can't live without them. Next, you need to have ual with someone and it has to mean something. You cannot pay the other person to do it and the other person must hold a special place in your heart. Third, you must at least make eye contact with your soul mate. Finally, you have to die again. I can provide you with a glimpse of your soul mate, but I can give you no more information than that. You have to find them yourself and see them in person. Video chatting on a computer will not count. But each time you reach a check point, I will come visit you in your dream that same night and tell you how many more checkpoints you have left.... Do I need to repeat any of that?" he asks, looking at you earnestly.

You slowly think through everything he just said again before nodding slightly. "I-I understand," you say softly, looking up at him with confidence in your eyes.

The man smiles softly then flips through the large book for a short while, scanning the contents of a particular page before he looks up from it again and continues speaking, "Alright. Good luck to you. As you re-enter your body you'll see a man's face for a moment. That is your soul mate. And yes, it could be a woman for some, but for you it is a man. I hope to see you here soon, but not too soon. Enjoy your life a little longer if you can," he says as he pushes down on a small button with his thumb.

A small  whirlwind begins to form around your feet and slowly climbs up to about your chest, pausing for only a moment before it whirls about your entire body.

"And one last thing! Don't force anything! Let nature take its course and your destiny will be revealed to you!!" the man calls out to you as the whirlwind forms a cyclone around you, complete with howling winds that seem to literally tear your spirit to pieces. The perfect vision of the irridescant gates slowly fades out and your entire being seems to be down into the Earth.

And just like before, you're pitched back into darkness. Except this time you're already yearning for the blinding light.