Purple Rain- The King Must Die

With the story of her fall done and finished, Fei decided to move their conversation to a more secluded place: the warehouse. She had to search for some information anyway and Dohyun only caught a glimpse of what the warehouse really was.

“This is definitely different from my first visit down here,” he mumbled.

Fei opened the secret doorway and they walked down the long stairs, as they should.

"That's because you were in like a piece of garbage into a vacuum. That is not normal, even for the goblins." She mumbled feeling disatisfied with the bad impression Minjae made. 

“Why is Minjae so overly protective, though? You said he is a nature spirit but must be more than that.” The human asked, knowing she will tell him the truth.

“When Minjae came into my life, he was a raven. I was not used to living on the mountain and I didn’t know how to respond to people so that I won’t have them question me all the time. He helped me, always came to me when I needed to vent and I gave him the chance to have a human body. He is not a guardian spirit so he is not what you’d expect from movies.”

“A bit like Diaval. That makes you Maleficent,” he said and laughed while imagining Fei with horns and wings.

The nymph shook her head bemused and surprised by how well he was receiving all these information. He was so easy to please and so open about everything.

"You said that it took you a long time to create a new form. Where did you go during that time?" He asked.

"I was still here, but under a different shape. I was part of the trees, the grass, and the dirt even. I was one with air and I was free of emotions and needs." She explained seeing how interested he was in the details.

"How long did it take?" He asked not looking at her but at the vast emptiness before him.

"Hades likes to say that it took me 5 years but that is him referring to how long it felt for him. I died in 1450 and returned under an earthly form during the Japanese invasion."

"But that's almost two centuries later!" He exclaimed finally turning to her.

"When you become one with air, time flies differently. Besides, I had to learn everything from scratch again. How to walk, how to run, how to be myself. Everything I went through seemed like a faraway memory. But then emotions returned and so did my life experience. I was so overwhelmed that I almost set a village on fire." She replied, feeling slightly guilty for that unfortunate event.

"Why did they punish you then?"

Fei stopped and gave a long and heavy sigh. She first glanced at her feet in shame before she rose her eyes to meet his.

"When I finally reached the capital, I was caught by Japanese patrols and sent for questioning to their general. In order to save myself I...let some advice through. I was angry with Joseon and its stupid rules and during a drinking party, I let some soldiers know this and that..." she said looking straight into his dark eyes. Now that she was forced to say it out loud, it did sound like she helped the Japanese.

Dohyun shook his head in disbelief. So she did do something in order to be thrown on the mountain.

"I do know I was wrong but I didn't provoke any wars. Once they sent me on Jiri Mountain, I started to help nature spirits and, later on, even humans."

"Why do you still keep the arrow then?"

"I don't know. It reminds me of both good and bad times and every time I look at it I...see Hyang." She said, never truly thinking about the reasons she kept it after she returned to life.

"What do you see when you look at me then?" He asked with a chuckle. He probably expected her to give him the most obvious answer, especially because he was a copy of the king. But she didn't. 

"Life. I see this ardent desire to live and to learn." She said with a soft smile. "There is an event that will take place on 25th of December." She changed the subject and they continued on their long way down.

"A Christmas party?" He asked with wide and excited eyes.

"Sort of. It is the annual Winter Conference. Many deities gather in one place and they talk about the world and whatnot while drinking expensive alcohol."

"That sounds like an episode." He said, his mind working around his story.

"I usually go with Minjae but this year I need a break from all his nagging so I'm thinking of taking you."

She wasn't even done speaking when he leaned towards her and grabbed her hands in his.

"Yes, yes, yes." He was so willing and happy that she decided not to tell him the rest of the details. "Should I dress in a tuxedo? I can rent one or I can-"

"No need. Come as usual."

"How can I? Does that mean Lord Hwanung will be there??" He asked still feeling like he was about to meet the president. Fei nodded and he jumped on his feet in excitement. "Assa! I'll have two or three chapters done in no time like this! It will be so cool!"

"...sure..." she muttered.

When Fei informed Minjae that he will have a free day on the 25th, he did not react at all. He didn't even raise a sassy eyebrow as he usually did when his disapproval was irelevant.

"What if he gets killed?" Minjae asked with a monotone voice.

"I'll be there."

"What do you think will Hades say when he'll see him? Or even worse, granny." He got a chill just by mentioning her.

"Why are you so scared of her anyway? She can't hurt you, she is the goddess of fertility."

"She is scary when she's angry. It's best to butter her up than get in trouble."

"You don't have children nor a wife. Not even the guts to go and talk to your crush."

Hikaru laughed out loud from his cleaning spot, making Minjae glare at both of them.

"Why don't you use that chance and ask her out? Didn't you deliver her books in the end?"

Minjae blushed at the memory.

He was not ready to meet her again and he realized that too late. He was already in front of her apartment building and did not look like he was there on delivery but more like he was there to give a gift. He looked up at the tall building before he looked down at the nice package he held.

"I'm not ready for this..." he whispered to himself, the sun getting into his eyes. It was particularly sunny, maybe because of the climate change or maybe because the gods were messing with him.

He could vaguely see someone walking out of the complex and coming towards him. When she approached, with her hair falling in her eyes and her whole appearance shining and sparkling, Minjae blocked.

"Do you want me to let you in?" She asked since she noticed he was just standing in front of the door. "If you want I can't enter the code and-"

"Delivery!" He shouted out of nowhere and raised the package. "It's for you! The angel-no I mean miss Park Eunbin."

She raised an eyebrow and read the Ethos logo. It looked like a cent from ancient Greece. Unlike what Minjae expected, she just grabbed the package and returned into the building.

"Wh-wait, I will help you carry them!" He said running after her. She was just closing the door when it caught his leg in between. "Aish!"

Hikaru shook his head while Fei stared at Minjae with pity. He did not enjoy that outcome.

"I'll pray for you and your love life, Minjae." Hikaru said sympathetically and patted the raven on the shoulder before he left.

"Where is he going lately?" Minjae asked although he was still sulking.

Fei wondered that too. He was always called by Death or by Hades to do this or that. At first it didn't seem like much since he was as much of a slave as she was but the frequency grew too much and too fast.

"Anyway, take this chance and prove you are my acolyte. After all, you did seduce other women before."

"I did not seduce them, they just grew fond of me." He said through gritted teeth. "And they were old ladies..."

They both knew he was really bad at flirting. Even back then, he had the role of a nurse in her cottage. Ladies and men liked him because he was kind and couldn't lie with his eyes.

The morning of the 25th went very differently for Dohyun than ever before. Usually he would be lying in bed, wasting time until he had to meet his friends for coffee and exchanging gifts. They were particularly disappointed that he was going to skip their little party this year. His best friend knew it had something to do with that woman from the library. She was taking almost all of Dohyun's attention lately.

"Are you jealous?" He asked while being in a video meeting with all of his close friends. The rest snickered at the way the two always seemed to flirt subtly with each other.

"No, but you have been going to that library nonstop. What about work? You are so close to finally accomplishing your dream..." she said sounding genuinely worried for his future.

"Work is...fantastic." he said thinking about how Fei was the main source of his webtoon now. "You cannot even imagine how much going to Ethos helps me. Fei knows a lot of stories about every mythical personality." He added, his voice rising as he grew more enthusiastic of what and who he will meet today. 

"When are you going to take us there? I can't wait to meet your girlfriend." One of the boys said making the rest really excited.

"Anytime. Now I have to go." He said and ended the call. If he were to be honest, he didn't want his friends to meet Fei or start going to Ethos. It was his little safe place and he enjoyed the peace.

She sent him the address by text. Since she said there were many deities to attend this event, Dohyun actually prepared himself. He looked like he was going to a photoshoot not to some godly conference. He had his hair gelled back and he wore his best blazer, just in case.

When he got at the conference hall, he found Fei standing on the stairs at the entry. She waved and got up, wiping the dust off her very informal pants.

"You are in a track suit." He said looking at her up and down.

"And you are dressed to impress but you don't see me pointing it out." She said guiding him to the door towards their rented hall. "We won't enter anyway."

"Why not?" He asked seeing how overly prepared and festive was the inside.

"Because our job is not inside, but outside." She explained and pulled out a knife from inside her jacket. She squeezed the hilt and suddenly it became a lance.

"Holy , that was awesome..." he said not able to control himself.

"It's the Lance of Ares. It was handed to me by Ares himself before the fall of Troy." She said with a soft smile. "Do you want to hold it?" She asked with a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

Dohyun nodded eagerly. It was well known that the lance was very heavy for everyone but herself and Hades. It was an artefact of ancient beliefs and only beings allowed by Ares could hold it. However, once she let it go, Dohyun could easily raise it off the ground. Fei frowned and hearing steps, she quickly held it so that it won't look suspicious.

"Oho, look who is here so early!"

Fei turned to the man that approached them with a roll of eyes.

"I'm surprised you showed up. Aren't you human now, Lee Yeon?" She asked and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

This Lee Yeon was one head, maybe two, taller than her but it didn't seem to bother either of them. He had an air of mystery and he was as handsome as a cartoon character.

"And you brought a snack, I see," he said as his eyes fell over Dohyun. His eyes reddened for a short moment, enough for the human to understand he was around dangerous people.

"Do you eat human hearts like the legends say?" The human asked recognizing those eyes from other media sources.

Yeon scoffed and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

"Do I look like I am so low to do that? No, thank you. I prefer mint ice cream."

"He still has some of his powers but he is mainly human now. That means he is easy to dispose of." She said with a sharp tone as she grasped her weapon.

"But not by your lance." He said as if that was a reason to be proud. "Anyway, good luck poor soul. You clearly don't know why you’re here." He encouraged Dohyun and went inside.

"Was he really a fox deity?"

"Yeah. A feisty one too. He sacrificed himself for his lover which granted him some favours."

"Wow,"

"He is not the only one. You'll see as they arrive...there’s a pattern with great deities that lost everything for their beloved. Some of them survived while some didn't." She explained.

"Well, love is power, isn't it? When you are in love, you feel like you can fight against the whole world." Dohyun said with the most innocent expression that Fei had ever seen. He didn't cringe once as he let those words come out of his mouth.

"We know now why none of uour relationships lasted." Fei muttered loud enough for him to hear. Dohyun narrowed his eyes at her although it did not look at all threatening and nudged her a bit. 

"Who else is coming?" He asked seeing more and more people approaching them.

It was quite a surprise to see a pleasing smile on her face every time someone appeared. It felt like she was going to crack any minute and kill all of them but she didn't. All deities, important and less important, arrived one after another and gave a nod before entering. Very few people genuinely stayed and talked to Fei.

Her eyes shined when one of her friends approached. Dohyun glanced at her gleaming expression before he turned to fully scan this new appearance. The man was a tall and rather imposing but once he smiled it seemed like everything about him softened up. 

"Ah, Kim Shin. Finally doing your duty."

"As always. Not like I have anything else to do." He said sounding just like her in some ways. His eyes fell over Dohyun and he needed a minute before his eyes widened.

"This is Lee Dohyun. A friend." She introduced the human with a clear 'don't nag' glint in her eyes. "And this is Kim Shin. He is the lonely goblin, who went against fate and death in order to return to his bride."

"Where is she then?" Dohyun asked seeing how Shin was by himself. 

"Dead. Nobody can win against fate and death. He was allowed to return but you know how these things go. You have to lose something in order to gain something else. An eye for an eye." Fei explained, her sight moving on the human. 

"It sounds terribly familiar," Dohyun commented sensing he has heard this story before.

"Maybe because we also know a nymph who has given her soul to a God in order to gain immortality. And then she fell in love with a human and almost gave it all up for him." Kim Shin said turning to her with a sarcastic expression. It was obvious there was some scolding being done right now with the way he was looking at her.

"We can't all be perfect every century of our lives." 

"You're going to get scolded for bringing a human." Shin mentioned but Fei shrugged and patted Dohyun on the shoulder.

"I trust him."

That felt more like a warning than reassurance. 

"Be careful, anyway. If I recognize that face, so will the rest." He advised and entered the hall.

"So I take that everyone knows Lee Hyang?" Dohyun asked as soon as they remained alone. 

"No, but everyone knows the story. It was a huge fuss because I was a foreigner."

"So only Asian deities will come?"

"Probably. The rest cannot be bothered with acting all polite between each other. And many have vanished anyway."

"Thankfully I haven't!" 

The voice came from a young-ish man who looked nothing like the rest. He had a hat on with wings and he seemed eager to be there. Interestingly enough, Dohyun recognized him even if he looked more modern than in mythology books.

"You are Hermes!" He said a bit too loud maybe. "He is Hermes," he whispered to Fei who looked unimpressed.

"Indeed, I am. And you look very familiar..." he said glancing at Fei with the same look in his eyes as Kim Shin. "You must be very close to Fei for her to bring you here."

"I want to believe so." He said since she already shared her past with him. "I thought all ancient Greek gods vanished."

"Vanish is a human way of putting it. They are just...not physical anymore but they still exist. I was gone for a bit too until my name became the norm. Now I run a delibery business. That is what I do best."

"He is also one of the underworld's best spies because he is a social butterfly. He can truly get on anyone's good side."

Hermes was a really nice guy from what Dohyun could see. And he was a close friend of Fei although none specified that. It was obvious from the way he wrapped one arm around her and hugged her like a brother. It was nice seeing people who actually liled and respected Fei.

"Ah, Dohyun, you'll get to meet a very interesting person..." she said later on when she saw him hurry down the hall. "He is Habaek, lord of the rivers. I'm sure you heard of him."

Dohyun's eyes widened and he couldn't believe the entity that was in front of him. The lord of the rivers was very tall and slender and he had a constant glare on his face. He seemed to dislike everything and everyone and once Habaek reached them, the first thing he did was scoff. 

"So it's true. I heard Minjae complain about a look alike but this is...uncanny." Habaek commented as he leaned in and scanned Dohyun's face. "How peculiar. You look just like that arsehole." 

Fei rolled her eyes and pushed the young lord away from her human guest. 

"Be nice and polite. He is a stranger to you, not an enemy." 

"And how do you know that? Who knows what type of sorcery or shamanic rituals he did before he died...humans can't be trusted." 

He said that with his own mouth which was a hypocrisy. He had fallen in love with a human before so he had no right to act so mighty.

"I'm not Lee Hyang, I promise. I am a boring human boy." Dohyun defended himself to which Fei chuckled. He really was dense to say such words with such a straight face. 

"Why aren't you scared? Did no one induce any kind of fear into you? We are all gods here...I can kill you without moving a finger." 

"You wouldn't," Dohyun replied with a cocky smirk. "Especially because I have this face. You wouldn't do that to Fei." 

The nymph watched with a melancholic gaze but Habaek was baffled how someone so insignificant could be so stupidly brave. 

But nothing happened and not because Habaek was done but because he felt the imposing presence of someone higher than him. Dohyun watched with interest and admiration as a man in a black suit walked to them. His attitude and the atmosphere around him were incredible. Dohyun's eyes widened when the man stopped in front of Fei and smiled.

"You look healthier than last time we met." He said and glanced at Dohyun. "I guess this is why. I don't even know if you have incredible luck or you are cursed, Fei."

She didn't have time to answer because a man dressed in royal clothes came right behind. He had very long hair in a traditional korean bun and he was just...

"Blinding." Dohyun whispered. "He's so blinding but beautiful."

"That is an exact personification of Hwanung." The suit man mumbled grumpily. 

"Hades! You came." Hwanung was not a casual person, he was a huge deal in his home. Next to him, or at least walking right behind him were three other people: one woman in a red dress, one elderly woman in korean traditional clothing and a man in dark robes and holding a sceptre. 

"The one in red is Fate, the other is granny and the dark guy is, as you believe, Death. Of course, they are only physical corps for special occasions." 

Hwanung looked down at Fei with a look of disgust. Dohyun's whole demeanor changed at the sight: from his point of view the korean deity was ready to scold Fei for simply standing there. Luckily, there was a balance with Hades keeping close to his nymph. But even without the god of the underworld, Fei was prepared to fight Hwanung if she had to. 

Fei, however, was more angry with Death. They both remembered their last meeting and Fei was known to be a vengeful person. 

"I hope you'll do a good job today, Fei. We can't have anyone important die." Hwanung said in a cold and bossy tone.

"Of course not, your highness. Only I can get someone important killed." She replied sarcastically. Or at least Dohyun hoped so. Hades rolled his eyes and more or less forced her to bow her head. 

"Still no change, I see. Different shell but same spirit." Hwanung spat out with such hatred that even Dohyun felt the need to go in between them. 

Fei watched him enter with a poker face and Hades sighed once the air cleared up.

"You'll be under his wrath forever if you aren't careful." 

Fei didn't answer. It didn't matter anyway since he already cut her freedom short.