Chapter 1 — Even Hell Can't Stop You

I'm dead. Black White Impermanence clamped on both sides and escorted me straight to the King's Palace. On the high platform, the King of Hell sat upright, his appearance obscured by darkness, making him unable to see clearly. "Last name." His deep voice rang out. … Um? Why does it sound so familiar? I raised my head and looked closely for a moment. Oh ho… Isn't this my ex-boyfriend who died two years ago?! 1 While crossing the street, I accidentally looked twice at a handsome guy, so I didn't notice the car coming. So... traffic accident. When I woke up, it was pitch black before my eyes. Turn to the side to take a look - I'm startled! One black, one white, two devils with fierce faces, glaring at me. Damn it! Am I dead?! The black-clothed demon held an iPad in his hand, looked serious, read a series: "Full name Phuong Nhat, born October 9, 2000, died in a car accident on July 28, 2021. Your life is in our hands!" Before I could understand what was happening, two demons dragged me straight to the King of Hell's palace. The point is... I don't even know how I'm going. I saw that as soon as my eyes closed, the next time I opened them, I fell into an even deeper darkness. There was a heavy yin around, except for the high pedestal in front, there was nothing else, even Black White Impermanence had disappeared. What the hell is going on? "Brave! Seeing the King of Hell, why haven't you knelt down yet?!" A voice rang out, low as thunder, scaring me into shaking both my legs. I immediately knelt down on the ground and looked around: "Where is King of Hell? Where is he?!" Just like the scene of an actor stepping onto the stage, suddenly a beam of bright light shines down on the high platform in front. The King of Hell is here. “Your name is Phuong Nhat?” I quickly nodded repeatedly: "Yes... yes, it's me!" But soon, a wave of doubt struck — why did this voice sound so familiar? Raise your head and look closely... Wait, why does the face up there look exactly like my ex-boyfriend - the one who died two years ago?! “Lam Viet?” — I called out tentatively. The King of Hell frowned and did not answer. On the contrary, from the darkness behind came a fierce shout: "Brave! How dare you call the King of Hell's name directly?!" …As expected it was him. But why didn't he answer me? I was completely frustrated, stood up, pointed my finger at him, and angrily shouted: "Very good, Lam Viet! After Thanh Diem pretended not to know me, right? Do you know..." Before I could vent all my anger, Lam Viet suddenly moved, appearing right in front of me from the high pedestal, so fast that I didn't have time to blink. Thick eyebrows, bright deep eyes, high straight nose, thin and seductive lips - it's all him. Only eyes and aura... compared to when he was in the earthly world, much colder and more majestic. However, he clasped his hands behind his back and coldly said to me: "*Are you the... newly arrived ghost?" …Fuck it! I've only looked at a handsome guy twice, so why the hell am I being accused of "evil looks"?! Angry, I put my hands on my hips and rolled my eyes: "Stop pretending you don't know me, who gave you the right to fabricate and slander me?!" Lam Viet frowned tightly, from beginning to end, never relaxing once. He bent down, his face close to mine... Ten seconds later, he straightened his body and spoke coldly: "I really... don't know you." …What?! What do you mean? You've only been the King of Hell for two years and you've already forgotten your ex-wife in this world? But, while I was still shocked and had no time to scream, another bad news came. Lam Viet calmly declared: "Those who die because of lustful thoughts... must do re-education in the underworld for the prescribed time before being reincarnated." In other words... I'm dead but I still have to be a "lowly employee", living through 996 tortures* even after going to the underworld. It's true that my life is a drama, even death won't leave me alone! In the underworld, there are all kinds of departments: Room of Fame, Room of Images, Room of Soul Collection... and so on and so forth. Unfortunately, as soon as I arrived, all departments announced at the same time: "Sorry, this place is full." I was so angry that I gritted my teeth. I still hated Lam Viet so much that I wanted to smash a brick into his face. But suddenly, he turned around and calmly said: "This king is missing a special assistant. You... come and do it." … Oh how strange! Apparently I had just been cursed by him as a "devil", and now he was trying to lure me back to work as a "lowly employee" under him?! Even though my heart was completely unwilling, when I thought about wanting to reincarnate, I had to swallow bitterly: "Okay... let's do it!" So, from that day on, I officially started my life in the underworld: Day by day, fighting with the King of Hell, fighting with strength every day, living in a situation of "rice is not good, soup is not sweet" with my ex-boyfriend and new boss. In short... life in the underworld officially entered a period of bloody wind and rain. 2 On the first day of becoming a special assistant of the King of Hell, the underworld human resources department gave me a work card. On the card was a black-and-white photo of me — stiff face, half-dead smile. I looked and almost wanted to cry: "At least make my face a little smaller, oh my god..." After that, the human resources department gave a series of important notes: • The special assistant must follow Pluto at all times, everywhere. • Whatever needs He has, I must meet them. To put it bluntly, being an assistant is almighty enslavement. The King of Hell's job is to examine souls every day, based on their sins and merits while alive to decide where they will go. But until now I still don't understand... why was I condemned to become a "devil" just because I accidentally looked at a handsome guy for two more seconds?! While working, Lam Viet sat on a high platform, solemnly judging souls, while I was arranged to sit in a dark corner, constantly transmitting files and documents to him. During the whole process, he never said a single personal word to me - just work, other than that... cold as ice. Could it be... you're really not the Lam Viet I used to know? I asked about the little devils next to me, and a black devil sitting at the next table whispered: "Normally a King of Hell has to work for at least a hundred years before taking a break to reincarnate, and this one... has only been in office for fifty years." If we calculate according to time, the Lam Viet I knew died two years ago, it cannot be a coincidence. Maybe... he was reincarnated long ago. In this world, people look the same, have the same name, there is no shortage of anything. Consoling myself like that, I continued working until evening. The first day ended with a sore back, tired legs, and sore butt. While preparing to leave, Lam Viet walked out of the room, having changed into a white shirt and black pants - looking neat Neat, clean, handsome to the point of fainting. He stopped me at the door: "Come with me to the underworld market." Me: “…” Does the underworld still have a market??? But... The King of Hell told me to go, I didn't dare refuse. So I obediently followed. The underworld market remains open throughout the four seasons, regardless of day or night. Bright lights, noisy people, all kinds of crowded stalls, no less bustling than the human world. I asked in surprise: "Why don't they go and reincarnate, but still stay here and open a market?" Lam Viet seems to be in a better mood today, his voice less cold: "There are people who are seriously poor, even if they go to hell and receive punishment, they still won't have a chance to be reincarnated. There are also people... who voluntarily stay as ghosts, not wanting to be reincarnated." While listening, the smell of grilled octopus from a roadside restaurant made me swallow my saliva. Seeing that, I casually asked: "What about you? Why did you choose to be the King of Hell and not be reincarnated?" After speaking, I realized... my mouth had slipped. I turned to look at him, and saw that Pluto's face, which was originally cold, was suddenly filled with sadness, his eyebrows furrowed. After a long while, he quietly replied: "I... don't know." Me: “…” Oh, it seems this King of Hell… is also a person with his own story. Taking advantage of some money from winning cards with the little devils in my free time, I bought a box of grilled octopus. Seeing him still sitting thoughtfully, I couldn't stand the heavy atmosphere, so I skewered an octopus and stuffed it straight into his mouth. "Come on," I said, my voice light, "If you can't think of it, don't think about it anymore. Everyone has a choice, you've chosen this path, then you just have to do well what you choose." Right now, I feel like there should be a golden light shining directly at me. Haha, I'm the cool heroine of this play! But... wait, the way Lam Diem Vuong looked at me... wasn't quite right. I just saw Lam Viet not taking his eyes off me, then suddenly bent down and bit straight into the octopus skewer in my hand.