The Seventh Part| Irene

The vast room was dark and cold and the sight of an angel—the winged god in the middle—sent shivers in my spine. For a moment, I really thought he was some guy that looked like Seulgi. Another moment, his features seems to change, a hint of Bogum’s smile into this handsome guy I found on TV once. The thing is, when my vision of him settled, he looked like all three of them in one. It wouldn’t have looked good but it did. And his eyes… it was bloodshot red, scarier than the fires I saw from Hephaestus’.

“Lord Eros, you commanded to see me.”  Seulgi bowed down in front of the winged creature. The man, well he turned around and stared at us. I didn’t know if it was the height differences or gods are meant to be taller by at least a feet but him looking down at us intimidated me.

“Kang Seulgi, I see you brought a guest.”

I took a glance at Seulgi’s expression, and for a second I thought she’ll say something like “What? NOOO! This crazy girl followed me here herself! I have no say on this!” But she didn’t and just looked down in shame.

So instead, I stepped up and decided to speak for myself.

“I came personally for your presence, Lord. Seulgi here didn’t exactly bring me here. It’s my own will.”

His eyes seems spiteful, and for a moment, I thought he’ll disintegrate me. Why are gods scary like that? It was almost like they were out to see you doing something wrong and grab that chance to incinerate you?

He has a set of arrows slung on his back, different from the heart-studded ones Seulgi own. It was two sets of either silver or bronze and it’s tips seems too sharp, it could prick your finger if you get close enough. I didn’t expect the Lord of Love to be this cold, almost cruel looking. Although Seulgi warned me that love was cruel, I actually expected the god to be laidback and mischievous like what they said in myths. Reality was different from the myths after all.

“You are ambitious, Miss Bae.” The god said, looking down at me. “And yet you’re a fool. You’re not one to sought out the God of Love. It brings a sad fate when you try to.”

“But Lord, I came to speak of something. About Seulgi—“

“You wanted to free this matchmaker from the dooming love affair that was set up for him after this mission, yes. I can read your heart even for miles away. Humans are like that.”

“Lord…?”

“Love resides in men’s hearts, and what I touches does not walk in darkness. I give a good fortune of who I favors, my dear mortal… The thing is, my play is cruel.” He turned around and looked at the sculpture again. This time, finally, I had a good look at it. It was a statue of a girl in the arms of a winged boy. Their faces was close, almost in a kiss. The girl seems to be dying, the art screaming of love even I can’t deny.

“Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss…” The Love God stated, his fingers touching the smooth edges of the art, his face still cold but now held sympathy. “Humans are the greatest creations Prometheus made. They were made with the appearance of the gods… but they were weak and helpless… meant to just be played around with the gods’ very own hands.”

“And a mortal she is, my dear Psyche. I’m pretty sure you know the tale, Miss Bae?” The Love God was questioning, expecting me to know it by heart.

I racked my brain, trying to take pieces of information about Cupid and Psyche and thank gods it was one of the popular stories of mythology ever.

“Psyche was a princess, the most beautiful ones of the women… Then your mother, Aphrodite, sent you to make her fall in love with a monster when in turn you ended up falling in love with her instead…” I paused, trying to remember. “T-then Psyche, after learning her fate of being married to monster, was sent by her family to you. She was forbidden to see you, know who you are if she could. But one night, she held a lamp and took a glimpse at you and learned you were the Love God… Cupid.”

Eros nodded his head, almost biting his lips halfway. “Her act of distrust has given her great pain by my mother. I was betrayed and she, she was sent in different quests in order to be deemed worthy of me.”

“B-but in the end, y-you came and saved her right? Lord?”

A hollow laugh escaped his lips.

“It was an act of love, but as I told her before… One cannot love if there was no trust. She broke mine and has to endure just to gain it once again.” He paused, took a glance at the girl in the statue… with almost a hint of sympathy in his face. “My love sacrificed a lot in my name, in order to become worthy of me…” His gaze turned and dropped to mine… then to Seulgi. All of a sudden, the sympathy was long gone but it was filled with rage, almost but not quite. “Let me ask this question to you, my best matchmaker…My dear Psyche was ready to go through deadly battles to be worthy of me. How about you? What have you done in my name?”

It was all of a sudden. He disappeared right before us as a shadow and lurked around. He was too quick, I couldn’t even spot him. I started looking around but nothing. The room was dark, but there was constant drumming in my head, or in the room, somewhere that made me terribly uneasy. It took me a few moments before realizing that Seulgi was doubling over in the floor, in pain.

“Seulgi, what’s wrong?!” I rushed to her side when a voice stopped me. It echoed to the walls. The voice of the Love God…

Don’t touch her! This is her battle, and you, unlucky mortal… you choose your fate. You wished to witness this.

I helplessly couldn’t do anything. I tried and tried but I couldn’t even take an inch closer to the matchmaker, who seems to be in total agony. I tried asking, talking to her, knowing what was wrong. But she couldn’t answer. She was in pain, and seeing where her hands are clutching, she’s pointing at her heart.