Jieun awoke in a foreign place. She lay on the ground and gazed up at the sky, squinting her eyes at its dark violet hue. The events of the past minutes returned to her in an instant. She panicked, sitting up abruptly. Where was—?  

“Calm down, I’m right here,” Baekhyun said. She discovered him next to her, shoulders sagging in relief.

“Y-You almost died,” she sputtered and started to fuss over him. “How is your injury? Does anything hurt?” He was pale, but he didn’t seem to be in pain anymore. Black shadows danced over his body, embracing him and smothering the light that had burned him.

“I’m fine now, but if you hadn’t brought me here, I would have died. You saved me,” he answered, gaze serious yet grateful.

“No, you saved me! Why did you protect me? You should have—”

“I should have what? Let you get hurt?!” His expression said more than a thousand words. He looked offended at the mere idea, and his steely eyes shut her up. “I don’t care what happens to me as long as you’re safe.”

This was one of the rare moments that rendered Jieun speechless. A rosy blush bloomed on her cheeks. He held her gaze, eyes narrowed and jaw tense. “Baekhyun,” she whispered, reaching for his hand and intertwining their fingers. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of me. Please don’t be reckless with your life.”

“I would be reincarnated if I died.”

“But your memories of this life would be lost. It wouldn’t be the same,” she frowned and stared at their connected hands. His was slightly bigger than hers, enveloping it tenderly.

Baekhyun was silent for a few heartbeats. “It sounds like you would miss me,” he mumbled. “I’m surprised you would go so far as to eat pomegranate seeds to reach the Underworld. Didn’t you know what would happen to you?”

“Of course I knew, but saving you was more important,” she said and furrowed her brows. “You told me the Underworld is not a bad place and I decided to trust you since you’ve never lied to me.”

Her eyes roamed over her surroundings with newfound interest, taking in the unfamiliar scenery. The colors were less vibrant than what she was used to but other than that, it didn’t look much different from the mortal world. “It’s really not as dark and gloomy as people say,” she commented, her curiosity sparked.

The smile curving his lips made him look proud, content with her opinion of his kingdom. “I’ll show you around, petal. There’s a lot to see, and I’m sure you’ll like it!”

Jieun wanted to answer him, but she was interrupted by an ominous noise. A growl rumbled through the silence. The ground shook. She shot Baekhyun an alarmed look, but he wasn’t bothered. On the contrary, he seemed amused.

“Ah, I knew he would show himself soon,” he chuckled. “He must be curious about you!”

Jieun’s jaw dropped when she found the reason for his amusement. It was a gigantic monster. The charcoal beast had three heads and a body the size of a truck. His paws could undoubtedly crush her. Reddish eyes stared her down as the creature opened his three mouths, showing his jagged teeth.

“That’s Cerberus, my puppy. I think he likes you.” Baekhyun’s nonchalance would have been comical had it not been for the enormous monster standing in front of her.

“You mean he likes to eat me,” she deadpanned.

“No, I’m serious. He definitely likes you, look!”

Jieun stared up at the guard dog and watched his demeanor change. He barked and lowered his three heads, his tongues lolling out. It made Cerberus look a little less like a murderous beast and a tad more like a (gigantic) pet.

She trusted Baekhyun’s judgment. Seeing how calm he was, she gathered her courage and introduced herself to his “puppy”. She reached out her hand and touched the silky black fur of his paw. It was soft, smelling of ash and fire.

“Hello, Cerberus. Nice to meet you.” She gazed up at his three heads, unsure which one she should address—Baekhyun’s pet was something else. Jieun was flabbergasted when Cerberus wagged his tail and barked at her. He showed his affection by bopping her with his huge snout, leaving slobber on her clothes.

“I told you he likes you!” Baekhyun grinned.

“I think I like him too,” she laughed.

Jieun spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with her new home. Since she had eaten the pomegranate seeds, she had irreversibly bound herself to Hades and could not leave the Underworld for long periods of time. So she thought she might as well take a closer look at the realm of the dead, and Baekhyun showed her around, taking her to his residence. From the outside, it resembled a traditional Greek temple, but the rooms inside appeared as they did in any modern house Jieun was used to.

Regardless of her initial reluctance to enter the Underworld, she didn’t regret eating the pomegranate seeds. Merely looking at Baekhyun, seeing the honest joy in his expression, made it all worth it. She didn’t know when exactly it had happened, but she had fallen for him. She was hopelessly in love with the ruler of the Underworld. Thus, Jieun had lost their bet, but she didn’t mind losing if it meant she could be with him.

The Goddess of Spring adjusted well to her new home, leaving flowers in her wake wherever she went. The garden behind the residence had become her favorite place to visit, especially when Baekhyun accompanied her.

He was eager to show her the most famous spots in his realm, and she was excited to find out that the Underworld was nowhere near as gloomy as it was rumored to be. It was a world where the souls of the dead found their final resting place, calm and peaceful.

During the first week of her stay, Baekhyun took her to Elysium and the Asphodel Fields. When she asked him about it, he also showed her the Styx, a majestic river separating the world of the dead from the living. However, he was reluctant to let her go near Tartarus, so she just got a glimpse of it since he deemed it too dangerous. Hidden in the deepest pits of the Underworld, it housed the evilest of souls and served as a prison for the Titans. After hearing about it, she decided she would rather explore other areas her new home had to offer.

Sometimes, when Baekhyun was busy, she was visited by Cerberus who liked to follow her around. The large guard dog had gotten attached to her and loved receiving cuddles. She found this quite humorous, considering how small she was compared to him. Even though her hands were tiny next to his paws, he enjoyed being petted by her.

Today, Baekhyun traveled to the river Styx to take care of an urgent matter, and when he returned, it was late in the af