She’s not the king of the underworld, she’s the queen.

Episode 1. 

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Though I have already grown into quite an adult now, there are times when memories of the books I read as a child suddenly come rushing back to me. Short passages from my Korean textbook, the boring biographies I read for book reports, or even the slightly risque comic books I secretly read under the covers at night.

And when I occasionally think about revisiting those books, I find that instead of appreciating the content, I get lost in nostalgia, reminiscing about those times. For me, it was a learning comic titled “Greek and Roman Mythology.” Due to its rather suggestive content and beautiful illustrations, I sometimes wonder if it contributed more to keeping kids awake at night than to its educational purpose.

Regardless, it is undeniable that this comic played a significant role in introducing my peers and me to the general storyline of Greek mythology.

Now that I’m older, I often think back to those comics, but having long passed the age of satisfying the curiosity of a teenage boy, I find myself merely recalling that such comics existed.

However, whenever I visit a bookstore, I inexplicably find myself picking up books related to Greek mythology. Reflecting on the mischievous kid from my past who was only focused on the illustrations,

I decided to buy a book that had no interesting illustrations, determined to truly understand the content this time. I resolved to enjoy light reading at home every weekend.

Now, returning to the present, having finished the book I bought at the bookstore, I closed it after reading the last sentence. As I slowly mulled over the contents of the books I had just read, I thought, “Aren’t they all trash?” The actions of the Greek gods seemed far more trashy than I had imagined.

If I were to point out the differences between Greek mythology and other mythologies, the most significant difference might be the depiction of gods who show human-like characteristics.

When we hear the word “god,” we typically think of sacred beings that exude an aura of the divine, absolute entities. However, the gods in Greek mythology reveal emotions and primal instincts, appearing no different from ordinary humans.

Yet, the term “human-like” does not necessarily imply only positive traits. I have no way of knowing the level of humanity in ancient Greece, but at least from the perspective of a modern person, the Greek gods come across as petty and eccentric.

For instance, consider Zeus, the highest god, who is often the prime suspect when a woman is found to be pregnant by someone other than her husband, or Artemis, who cruelly has her hunting dogs kill a man simply for accidentally seeing her bathing.
Athena turns a victim, Medusa, who was raped in her temple, into a hideous monster. The portrayal of these gods in mythology showcases their selfish and capricious nature.

However, among these Greek gods, there are a few who display relatively normal behavior. Today, I will briefly explain one of them, Hades.

The god of the underworld, the king of the dead, the ruler of the underworld. Hades is one of the three major gods who divided the world with Zeus and Poseidon, and even those unfamiliar with Greek mythology have likely heard his name.

Due to his role in managing the afterlife, he is often depicted as gloomy and dark in various media. However, Hades is one of the more sane gods among all the Greek deities.

Sure, he did commit the terrible act of kidnapping Persephone, but considering the average fate of women in mythology who fall victim to gods, one could argue that he is fulfilling his responsibilities by treating Persephone as his queen. Throughout the myths, there are no instances of him behaving like a villain; he simply carries out his duties.

Of course, Hades’ relatively positive evaluation may partially stem from the fact that he does not appear much in the myths. Yet, even so, it is a hallmark of Greek mythology that even a brief appearance can result in bizarre reputations.

Compared to his brothers, who hold such high positions as the three major gods, Hades can be seen as a relatively mild god, especially considering that he has no significant blemishes aside from the kidnapping.

Thus, one day you will come to know that Hades is not as gloomy as you might think. He is a poor god burdened by his deadly duties, a truly human-like deity.

What? Why am I suddenly speaking as if Hades is a real god? I understand why you would say that. After all, gods are entities that cannot be scientifically proven, and for those who do not believe in religion, they are mere figments of imagination.

Furthermore, since the gods of Greek mythology are no longer believed in by most people today and are only valued for their literary and artistic significance, it’s even more understandable.

However, the proof of a god’s existence is often sudden. Signs, omens, flashes of light, shooting stars in the night sky, flocks of birds taking flight—when humans encounter something miraculous that cannot be explained scientifically, they tend to believe it to be the will of the gods.

Even if the appearance of that god is—”Trash?? Who’s calling them trash?”

Wearing a shabby sleeveless shirt and old jeans, she appeared to be in a form that was utterly unremarkable and human-like.

“….”

I lifted my gaze and looked at someone who had approached me without my noticing. Dressed in a manner that one could only wear in the privacy of their home, far from any public space, with hair that was a mix of silver and light green and an exotic appearance.

The beautiful woman before me looked at me with wide eyes, as if curious about the meaning of my recent words. Yes, why should I hide it? She seemed to be in stark contrast to the nobility or grandeur one might expect. Even questioning whether she was aware of her gender, her attire left little to the imagination.

Amazingly, she was indeed the goddess of the underworld and the ruler of the dead from Greek mythology.

What? What nonsense am I talking about? I understand why you would react that way. It is only natural to think that someone claiming to be a god is either crazy or delusional.

However, I was not entirely convinced that this woman, who claimed to be Hades, was merely a figment of my imagination. After all, if you were to encounter someone claiming to be a god, it would be typical to dismiss them as a madman.

But if the woman claiming to be a god presented vivid experiences and undeniable evidence, one could only think that it was a hallucination or a dream for the first few encounters.

Yet, if such encounters continued to exceed ten, one would inevitably have to believe that the woman before them was indeed a deity.

The first encounter with her was, in retrospect, quite bizarre. On a snowy night, while I was driving, a woman suddenly appeared in front of my car. I tried to brake, but the car, having already gained speed on the snowy road, wouldn’t stop in time. Before I could bring the car to a halt, I hit the woman standing in front of me.

A chilling crunch echoed in my ears. I felt as if I had just crushed a human body beneath my car, and I trembled all over in fear and confusion, momentarily frozen at the wheel. I broke out in a cold sweat and leaped out of the car, soon finding the silver-haired woman lying beneath it.

For a moment, I thought I might scream, but I quickly realized it was not the time for that. I gathered my wits and rushed to the back seat to help the woman, driving frantically toward the hospital.

I had considered abandoning her, but the image of her eyes—wide with shock, as if she had seen something incredible—stuck in my mind, and I couldn’t bring myself to do such a thing.

I could only pray that the woman lying in my back seat was still alive, and I sped down the road, far exceeding the appropriate speed limit.

Upon arriving at the hospital, I hurriedly got out of the car and opened the back door. However, astonishingly, the woman I had hit was nowhere to be found, and there was no evidence or trace that she had ever been there. Everything had returned to its original state as if nothing had ever happened.

The only explanation for her disappearance was that she must have opened the door and jumped out during the ride. I drove back to the spot where I had first encountered her, but even when I arrived, there was no sign of her.

It was too vivid an experience to dismiss as a bad hallucination. The sound I heard when I hit her was far too realistic to be anything but chilling.

Eventually, after searching the area repeatedly without any results, I returned home, shaken and in a state of panic, spending several days in a daze.

As time passed, I began to wonder if that incident had been a hallucination. Just then, the doorbell rang.

I had ordered something, so I assumed it was the delivery. Without hesitation, I opened the door, but instead of a delivery person, there stood the very woman I had encountered before.

I was so shocked that I nearly fainted. Of course, it’s natural to be startled when something you had dismissed as a hallucination suddenly becomes a reality. Especially if that hallucination involved running someone over with your car.

However, the woman standing at my door was far too vivid to be dismissed as an illusion. I stood there, frozen, sweating profusely, unsure of how to react.

“Well, it’s not the first time we’ve met. I mean, it’s the second time, right?”

Seeing me on the ground, she smiled awkwardly and offered a greeting, seemingly trying to ease the awkwardness of the situation by scratching the back of her neck.

According to her, it seemed that she had accidentally stepped in front of my car, but she hadn’t been hurt. Since she was busy at the time, she had to leave without saying anything. Now that she had some free time, she came to check if I was doing okay after that incident.

To be honest, her words were hard to comprehend. If it had been my usual self, I would have either not understood her meaning or pretended to understand and sent her away.

But at that moment, I was still confused by the earlier incident, and perhaps out of a desire to seek some psychological compensation for the mental distress I had experienced, I invited her in without thinking much about it.

After she entered my home, we exchanged a few conversations, and I soon realized that we got along quite well. No, it was beyond just getting along; I had never become this close to anyone in such a short time in my life.

Not wanting to let this connection end with just a chance encounter, we exchanged contact information, and after a few meetings, we became comfortable enough to share casual jokes, eventually reaching a point where we spoke informally. Before I knew it, she had started visiting my home quite frequently.

Was it around that time? My ordinary life began to occasionally feature surreal events. Although I thought it was quite a radical change to have made a new friend, I slowly started to adapt to these unreal occurrences.