You may have heard the story of how man tried to cheat death or the hundreds of variations of it. Of how humans pull an attempt to avoid certain deaths and how it ended up. Well, this is one variation of those stories: how man tried to defy death just to be with the one they love.

It all started in an old, war-stricken village, where famine and drought have swept the entire town causing scarcity of any human’s basic needs. Life is hard for Son Seungho, a father of one daughter – coming two – though he’s not sure if it is a boy or a girl. He wanted it to be a boy, so he can teach him his ways, to be able to pass down his wisdom only a man could ever understand; it’s different when you can have someone you can relate to.

He smiled at the thought as he wiped his already smudged face with dirt and traces of sweat from working all day long at the field in order to provide his family’s needs. It doesn’t matter how tired his body was, this is for his family – that’s what is most important.

Seungho looked at the sky painted with pink and purple with blots of twinkling whites starting to show up, the day is almost done then the signal of the bell could be heard from a distant, it was a tell-tale sign that their day at the field is now ending. Feeling energized at the thought of going home to his wife and daughter, Seungho hastily finished his work by plowing the remaining parts of the land and after a few minutes he went back to the inn where they have to leave their tools.

After placing his tools gently on the shelf, he felt a tap on his back and saw the landowner with a worried look on his olden features. Seungho wondered what’s happening, curiosity piqued him he bowed in acknowledgement and asked, “Sir, good evening. Is something the matter?”

“Seungho, I hate to break this to you but I don’t think I can pay you anymore.”

Shock was written all over Seungho’s face, his eyes widen and his chest tightened, it took him a few seconds to respond, “No, please I need to work so I can feed my family. Sir, my wife is pregnant and this is the only thing that’s keeping us alive.”

“I’m sorry, boy. But the war has really damaged everything in this town. It would take a while for this place to flourish, again.”

He nodded in defeat, heaved a deep sigh as his shoulders slumped its way down, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders; Seungho walked out of the inn and made his way home.

He opened the door and saw his loving wife smiling warmly at him and his daughter of three years, Seunghee, running towards him with her tiny little footsteps. For a moment he forgot all of his problems. He greeted his wife with a kiss on the lips and his daughter a kiss on the head, he knelt down leveling his face to his wife’s belly and kissed the bump earning a smile from both ladies in front of him.

Seungho stood up, now worry written all over his face. His wife, Hyekyo, didn’t miss the change in his expression – she knew something was up and so she didn’t hesitate to ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Mister Baek laid me off.” Seungho said his voice laced with much worry in it.

He could see the sad expression masking his wife’s eyes but tried to assure him with her words, “We still have some stock saved that could last us three for a week so until then there’s still time, so you don’t have to worry, okay?”

Seungho nodded at his wife’s statement. That’s all he could do for now. A week, that’s all the time he has to be able to find a labor that could feed his family. For now, his dinner that his wife cooked awaits.

*

A few days passed, Seungho still hasn’t found anything to make an earning. He slumped against their wooden chair and started to think of other ways to sustain his family, this famine really has gotten everyone in the village go through a hard time. Panic has now started to boil in him as he fears for the next three days or until when their stored food and water will last them, which isn’t pretty long to be very honest.

Suddenly, a crash could be heard from the kitchen and a shriek coming from an all too familiar voice pulled him out from his reverie. Seungho didn’t waste no time and scrambled on his feet to go to where the sound was from. There he saw his wife leaning against the wall with Seunghee beside her not knowing what to do.

“Get Old Woman Kim from the alleyway, she knows what to do.” Hyekyo managed to let out in labored breaths.

Seungho nodded as he laid his wife on their wooden bed and patted his daughter’s head, “Look out for mama for me, okay?”

His three year old nodded in response and he smiled completely entrusting his wife to his kid and hurriedly got out of their home. He went down to find the woman that could help her wife in labor, a few more houses and he’s almost nearing to where Old Woman Kim is residing.

He knocked and yelled a few words to announce his presence. The door opened revealing an old familiar lady that helped her wife give birth to Seunghee, he hasn’t said a word and yet somehow the old midwife knew what his purpose was. Seungho felt tiny bit of relief when they were nearing their home, they were almost there.

The moment they entered the house, Seungho could see his wife’s face twisting and body squirming in pain. Old Woman Kim immediately attended to Hyekyo and Seungho held his wife’s hands, hoping and praying that their newborn will be safely delivered.

After of what seemed an hour or so, Old Woman Kim finally delivered the baby. Seungho wiped his wife’s forehead out of the beads of sweat and kissed it gently. He released a deep breathe trying to calm his nerves from the excitement.

“It’s a girl,”

Seungho wasn’t even dismayed at all, a baby girl is still a blessing. It didn’t matter, but the atmosphere felt weird, her wife looked worried as tears started to pool on the lids of her eyes. Old Woman Kim’s eyes look downcast, even Seunghee’s eyes were full of questions. He ran his eyes to the baby and realized the baby isn’t crying.

No. No. No. Tears were now threatening to spill over his eyes.

“There’s a faint breathing but I don’t think she’s going to survive.” Old Woman Kim gave the baby to him and held her gently. He nodded at Old Woman Kim and thanked the woman for her help with delivering the baby.

“Do you want to give her a name?”

Seungho stared at his wife and nodded in response, they in fact have chosen a name before the baby was born and maybe in her last few hours in this world she could be given a name worthy for her, “Seungwan.” He softly said, tears now streaming down his face at the thought that they’ll lose their newborn.

He hoped and wished that maybe there’s some kind of miracle that could save Seungwan but no such miracle exists in this world. Dusk was almost coming and Seungho thought that it may be nice to spend a little more time with his newborn daughter. So, he gently carried the little one and stood outside of their little home.

“Look, Seungwan you see that wide space painted purple up above? That’s the sky.” He looked intently at the baby brushed his nose onto Seungwan’s forehead, melancholy covered his whole being as he stared, memorizing the crevices of his daughter, “I wish you could spend more time with us, Seungwan.” He said, sadness masking his voice.

For a moment the purple sky suddenly darkened – it was pitch black all over and Seungho wondered how it became night so fast, he looked up to the sky and noticed there were no stars, just pure black. He quickly got into their abode and saw her wife and daughter unmoving. It felt weird, the sudden change of black and white with their surroundings and add to that her wife and daughter were as still as ice. He looked down to the baby in his arms and somehow she’s breathing fine.

Then, wisps of mist covered the entire place and Seungho couldn’t help but be anxious and afraid about the sudden change of atmosphere. He went out of the house, still carrying his newborn, and found bright shimmering lights from the dark woods by the edge of the village, it beckoned to him and as much as he doesn’t want to his body moved onto its own accord.

Footsteps were taken, full of caution as the father held tightly his baby girl in his arms. In the woods he saw three bright lights floating a few feet above the ground, he squinted protecting his eyes from the brightness – the lights showing colors to which he identified as gold, purple and green then all of a sudden the brightness dimmed swallowed by the darkness then in an instant three – to what Seungho identified as females – females dressed in robes colored by the same color of the light he saw earlier.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

A soft voice came out, coming from the woman in golden robe, “We come with no names, however for you to distinguish us, I am what your people call ‘God’.”

“God?” Seungho raised his brows in question. He then turned to the much shorter woman in the middle with her purple robe, “You, who do you claim to be.”

A menacing voice came out from the woman, its purple light darkening,  hovering – towering over Seungho, “I am the Devil, little one.”

He took a step back and covered the baby’s face against his shoulders when he saw thick purpled wisps brushed past him.

“Settle down, Devil. We’re not here to scare a human.” He turned who claimed to be God.

“Why have you come here?”

“We are here to bestow you of what you gravely need.”

“I gravely need?”

The Devil scoffed, “This human seem to have forgotten about his family’s needs.”

Surprise overtook his features on what he has heard, and silence claimed his tongue – not one bit did he managed to say a word from the shock.

“Let that child be our Goddaughter, if you choose either one of us we will provide your family prosperity and save that child’s life – we know that child’s time has almost come, Death there has been waiting for her.”

“You will save my child? You’ll save my Seungwan? But on what cost?”

“We will save the human child’s life and in return a day after she turns 18 whomever you choose to be Seungwan’s Godparent will come back and let her come along on a journey.”

“How long? How long will you take her away from us?”

“A year.”

“One year and you’ll return her to us.”

“Yes.”

“But why, I-I… why?”

The woman in gold smiled and looked over the baby in the man’s arms, “Consider it a gift.”

“So who will you choose to be your child’s Godparent?” The woman in purple asked him out of haste as if she’s trying to urge him to pick her.

“Death.”

A sudden burst of purple colored wisps hovered over Seungho and Seungwan, moving erratically as it towered over them the moment he spilled out his answer. The father took a step back, covering Seungwan’s with his chest to protect his baby and took a step back from the demon in front of him.

“Devil, calm down,” God reprimanded, “Why is it that you chose Death over us, human?”

Seungho gulped the lump in his throat and looked at the person in green and turned to God and Devil, “No offense to the two of you but God you have been nothing but be silent to anything, you let the rich become rich and the poor starve,” He then turned to the Devil and explained, “as for the Devil, you deceive mankind and let chaos run over us.” Now, his eyes are dead-straight looking to Death, “Death has viewed all as equal – claiming lives of the rich and the poor, the good and the evil without hesitation and I believe that Death can bestow unbiased principles on my daughter in one year she’ll be with her Godparent.”

“So be it, then.”

“As you wish, human.”

And with God’s last words they disappeared leaving traces of wisps of smoke on the spot they once stood. Now, Seungho was left only with the woman in green robe – Death itself – if he could describe Death, she was a woman with long dark hair framing her pale white skin, her eyes sunken painted with a sinister smile on her face.

“I won’t thank you for choosing me, but I shall now bestow your child a life that she will relish in her lifetime. Remember the deal, a day after she turns 18 she will be with me for a year.”

Seungho nodded, eyes bleary from tears pooling in his eyes, “Thank you for this blessing.”

Death tipped her head lightly and in a split second Death disappeared into nothingness. With the disappearance of the deities in front of him – the darkness that he saw earlier was gone and he noticed he was in the confines of his home and noticed sacks of rice underneath their worn out dining table and bunch of bread on his table, he peeked at his wife and daughter by her bedside.

He hurriedly brought himself and Seungwan to her wife overwhelmed with fatigue and sadness, he kissed her forehead and said with excitement in his voice, “Seungwan will be with us for a long time.”

Hyekyo was washed with relief, she didn’t want to know what could have happened for her husband to say such words, she believed him and what’s more important is her daughter is safe.

*

Years passed and Seungho and his family had been living in prosperity – away from starvation and poverty – Seungho even found a good paying job enough to sustain his family, they weren’t rich but what they have was enough to feed their family. Sometimes, when they’re abundant with food they’d always give their extras to those who are in need, it may not be much for them but for the people Seungho and his family has helped it was something that they were grateful for the Son family.

It was one fine day and their family was preparing for a special day – Seungwan’s 18th birthday – Seungho knew at some point that this time will come, his wife knew, even Seunghee knew. How? Well, it was when Seungwan was nine years old – the youngling woke up from a nightmare screaming her wits out, waking everyone in their household. She told them what she saw: a beautiful woman with a great smile and all of a sudden her face cracked revealing a smudged face with crooked and sinister smile while calling her name.

Seungho asked Seungwan if the lady she saw had a long black raven hair and was wearing a black robe adorned with green edges – exactly the same as to what Death was wearing when they first met. And when Seungwan looked at him with surprise in her face that was when he realized that he should tell his family about his deal with the deities in order to save Seungwan’s life.

He sat at the chair in front of their home and watched as his youngest talking to the neighborhood children, he couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Seungwan grew up gracefully, blessed with a good heart and a kind soul, plus her pretty face that is loved by everyone and envied by some. His smile grew wider, proud at the thought that Seungwan is such a good daughter who respects everyone and views everyone as her equal.

“Seungwan is such a good daughter, isn’t she?”

Seungho’s wife’s voice pulled him out from his wandering thoughts, she was right her youngest is indeed a good daughter, not once did she give them any headaches except at times when she cracks them her jokes but everything else about her? It was perfect.

He nodded in response, “A year isn’t going to be that long, isn’t it Love?”

“Time flies by so fast, one moment she’s just a baby and the next she’s going to be eighteen. She’ll come back in no time.”

Seungwan must’ve felt her parent’s eyes on her; she turned to where they were situated and smiled brightly and waved letting them know that she has seen them to which they also waved in response. Seungwan turned to the kids and told them that she should get going for it is a special day for her.

The night of celebration was spent with the Son family talking and laughing, telling random stories – satire and serious – either way everyone enjoyed their night. They all savored the moment that they got with their youngest for they know that when tomorrow comes Seungwan will be away with them for a while.

*

The day after Seungwan’s birthday her Godparent, Death, came knocking on their door and with no hesitation Seungwan followed suit – taking a look back at her family with a broad smile on her face as if to reassure them that everything will be okay. Once she closed the door to their house, in a blink of an eye she saw a different view, usually she’d see some small houses of their neighborhood and the large rice field by the far left side of their village. This time she saw  much larger buildings compared to the ones she has seen in their village, though Seungwan admits that she has never been this far from home before.

This definitely felt new, everything felt new. She looked up to admire the structures she has seen and then noticed that for a place to have such huge constructions there’s only a few people, it felt bleak. She couldn’t help but look at her Godparent with eyes full of curiosity and asked, “Where are we? Why does it feel that this place is dead.”

“We’re at the Capital, which will be left dead if we don’t do something about it.”

“Why? I mean you are ‘Death’ wouldn’t you be delighted to claim lives?”

Death stared at her with an incredulous look, it felt like she has struck a chord – like she has somehow offended her.

“My child, you have so much to learn.” With that statement the place yet once again changed to a much more, if she may say, dreadful place. Seungwan saw a number of people lying sickly on beds and were attended by nurses and doctors – they’re in an infirmary she fathomed, “take a good look at what’s currently happening, a plague has struck your country and we’re here to prevent that.” Still confused by Death’s intentions – which Seungwan thought it’s still pretty ironic for Death to come and swoop in to prevent people from dying. Her Godparent saw her puzzled expression, the place suddenly changed again and this time it was a dark dark place with countless flickering lights as the source of light.

Candles? Seungwan walked closer to the burning light in front of her and confirmed her hunch. Candles.

“These candles symbolizes one’s life,” Seungwan turned to Death with her wide eyed gaze and tried to tell further for the young one’s enlightenment, “those candles looking good as new signifies new life born in to this world, the one’s with wicks that are little to almost nothing, shows how one’s life is almost ending,” Seungwan nodded, absorbing the information that was given to her, “now, you see those candles whose wicks are still there but its fire is dimmed? Those are the ones we need to save, it just isn’t their time yet but the plague is threatening their lives.”

Seungwan nodded, curiosity still in her eyes, “Can I see my candle?”

“Curious aren’t you? No, it’s not yet time for you to see your own candle. But for now, you will learn about the world and how you adapt to it. You will learn about various things while you’re with me.”

And so, Death brought Seungwan over an abandoned mansion located deep in the outskirts of the capital to which she says is their temporary home until the deal is done.

After few days after they have settled in the humongous house, which Seungwan cleaned herself. She was left by her Godparent alone, with only enough food and books to read telling her that she has an errand to do for a few days. She has spent her time inside the mansion – trying to familiarize every nook and cranny of the huge house. Seungwan admits over the days it gets boring, without her sister and family to talk to, she even missed the neighborhood kids back in their small town, thus the young woman has spent her entertainment with reading the books available in the large library in the mansion.

It was early in the morning, and Seungwan was preparing breakfast for herself when she heard a rustle just from outside near by the window. She turned to look at the sill, she didn’t see anything except for the bright blue sky, she ignored the sound not until she heard another rustling this time it’s by the glass window. She was scared on her wits when it suddenly opened, Seungwan took a step back and let out a shriek when she saw someone jumping over the window – the stranger halted her movements the moment Seungwan let out her soun