Chapter 1 : I met a god

[…This is the HR department. First of all, thank you for taking the time to apply to our company. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that we won’t be able to move forward with your application this time….]

Rejected again.

I tossed my phone aside and flopped down onto the wooden floor of my rooftop room.

Being able to lie down and watch the sky like this was one of the few perks of living on the rooftop.

‘How many places are left…?’

As I was counting the companies I’d applied to, a flash of light streaked across the sky.

‘A shooting star?’

Normally, they disappear quickly, but this one had a long, trailing tail.

If it’s something falling from the sky, maybe it could grant a wish.

‘Please… let me get a job!’

I smiled at my own desperation.

‘Man, I’m really trying everything now, huh?’

But then something strange happened.

Instead of disappearing, the shooting star split, and part of it veered off in a different direction.

‘That’s weird… Do shooting stars branch off like that?’

But it didn’t stop at just being interesting.

The offshoot started falling — fast — heading straight toward the ground.

I kept watching, thinking I might get to see the rare sight of a meteorite landing.

It took only a few more seconds for me to realize it was falling… right toward me.

“Uh… uh… what the…?”

I never finished my sentence.

There was an enormous impact, and then everything went black.

The last thing I felt was an excruciating pain, as if my entire body was being torn apart.

*****

When I opened my eyes, everything around me was white.

Even the person standing in front of me was white from head to toe — including their hair.

For a second, I thought of the KFC Colonel, but this person was a sharp-featured, strikingly handsome man.

“You’re awake.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but the entire space seemed to shake with it.

The sheer presence of it made me drop to my knees without thinking.

I was overwhelmed by an almost suffocating fear.

“Sorry, my energy’s probably too strong. You’ll adjust soon, so hang in there.”

“Who… who are you?”

Feeling a little better, I managed to speak cautiously.

“I’m the first and the last. For you, I suppose you’d call me God.”

“G… God?”

“Just think of it that way. You wouldn’t understand the real answer.”

He sounded condescending, but instead of getting angry, I only felt more afraid.

It was like I was facing something I should never have encountered.

“So… why would someone like you…?”

“I made a mistake. I was moving across the heavens, and there was some debris in my way. I knocked it aside — turns out it fell right on you.”

So that was the branch that split off from the shooting star.

It must’ve been whatever that was… and I got hit by it.

“Then… am I… dead?”

“Up until now, yes. But it’s quicker if I show you.”

God snapped his fingers, and a huge screen appeared in front of me — like a hologram straight out of an SF movie.

“AHHHHHH!”

I screamed and staggered backward without meaning to.

The fear of standing before God was nothing compared to the horror on that screen.

My rooftop room was in shambles — and my body lay there, utterly destroyed.

My limbs were scattered, my insides spilled over the edge of the floor.

“The landlady’s going to faint when she sees that…”

“……”

When I finally calmed down enough to look away, I saw God watching me intently.

“You’re… an unusual human.”

“What do you mean?”

“You just saw your own horrific death — and after a moment of shock, your first thought is worrying about someone else? Shouldn’t you be blaming me for killing you?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t know why my mind went to the landlady.

Maybe because she’d always been so kind — bringing me side dishes and encouraging me, saying I’d find a job soon.

“Well… she’s always been really nice to me…”

“Interesting. Let’s take a closer look.”

His gaze changed.

It felt like he was seeing through me — everything I was, everything I’d ever been.

“…You’re a good person.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such kindness. Now I feel even worse for killing you.”

I’d often been told I was kind when I was a child.

As I grew older, people would say I was so good-hearted that I could live without the law.

But was that really such a big deal?

Big enough to make even God feel guilty?

“You’re kind, but you’re no pushover. You help the weak, you don’t bow to the strong, and you stand firm for justice. If you’d been born in an era closer to mine, you’d have been a prophet.”

A prophet?

Like one of those divine messengers from the scriptures?

How could someone like me even be compared to those incredible people?

After a moment of thought, God snapped his fingers, and a massive basin-like vessel appeared in the air.

Inside… was my broken, mangled body — the one I’d seen on the screen earlier.

“Ugh… why… is this…?”

“I was originally just going to take your soul, but I changed my mind. It would be a waste to leave you dead. I’ll reshape you.”

“Reshape me?”

“After creating the world, the last thing I shaped from the earth was your kind. This brings back memories.”

Hearing the origin of humanity directly from God… I never thought I’d experience this.

“But since you’ve already died once, it wouldn’t be fair to just reshape you as is. I’ll pour a divine gift into you, too.”

Hearing God talk about fairness was surreal.

But more importantly — a divine gift?

“Um… what exactly is a divine gift?”

“A gift freely given by God. Believers call it grace. If that’s hard to grasp, just think of it as an extraordinary power.”

A gift from God… Whatever it was, it had to be something amazing.

God snapped his fingers again, and several jars, like condiment containers, appeared in the air.

“Let’s see… what would be good…?”

As God browsed through them, his hand slipped — and one of the jars fell over, spilling its contents into the basin below.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

“Uh… what was in that jar?”

“Let me see… Ah, that was the divine gift I poured into my son.”

“Your… son?”

“Yes. Long ago, he wanted to go down to the earth, so I poured that gift into him.”

He came back after being whipped and having holes driven through his hands.

I stored the leftover divine power in this jar — guess I never cleaned it up.

Honestly, does Michael even do his job?

”God muttered, clearly annoyed at someone.But… this sounded awfully familiar.Wasn’t this the story of the savior from the scriptures?“

Not even the greatest prophets ever received this divine gift.

I can reshape you and send you back to earth — but if you go, you’ll be given a mission.

If you’re willing to take on that burden, I’ll send you back.

If not, I can just take your soul to heaven.

“What’ll it be?”

“What mission?”

“Salvation.”

“…Sal… what?”

“You’re underestimating me. Do you really think I’d go to all this trouble just for something so small?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ahem. Once you receive the divine gift, people burdened by life will naturally be drawn to you. The weary and heavy-laden instinctively seek out this kind of power. Your mission will be to help them.”

Helping others?

I’d been doing that since I was a kid — that didn’t seem so hard.

“That… doesn’t sound as overwhelming as I expected.”

“Normally, it would be difficult — but you’ll be a special being with a divine gift. You’ll manage just fine. Plus, there’s a bonus.”

“A bonus?”

“Yes. The more people you help, the more good things will happen to you in return.”

“Good things… like what?”

“Help the wealthy, and you’ll gain wealth. Help those in power, and you’ll rise in status. Help men, and you’ll earn their trust. Help women, and you’ll be loved.”

So… I’d be helping others anyway, but with sweet rewards attached?

I didn’t even need the rewards — I just didn’t want my life to end like this.

There was still so much I wanted to do.

“Please reshape me and send me back. I’m not ready to die yet.”

“Good choice.”

God began working on my broken body, his hands moving skillfully.

Before long, the remains transformed into a dough-like substance and disappeared into the basin.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done this — it’s fun. Should I pull out one of your ribs and make a woman? Nah, never mind. You’ll attract plenty of women with your divine gift anyway.”

God laughed heartily at his own joke.

For an all-powerful being, he sure made a lot of silly comments.

“And finally… this.”

He approached me and suddenly shoved his finger right up my nostril.

“ACK! Aghhhh…!”

“All done. I’ve breathed divine spirit into you — it’ll help you from now on. Be friendly with it.”

As I clutched my nose and stumbled backward, God just waved cheerfully.

A brilliant light surrounded me, wrapping me in warmth.

Wait — what even is this divine spirit?!

You haven’t explained that yet!

*****

“Hah…!”

I woke up — lying on the wooden platform of my rooftop room.

When I’d seen my body on the screen earlier, it had been a blood-soaked mess, with my insides scattered everywhere.

But now… everything was clean.

I touched my arms and legs, moving my fingers and toes.

It was my body — perfectly normal, just like always.

“What… was that all a dream?”

Maybe I’d just fallen asleep while watching the night sky from the rooftop.

[It wasn’t a dream.]

“AHHHHH!”

I fell off the wooden platform in shock at the sudden voice.

But there was no one around.

[Didn’t you hear God say He was breathing a divine spirit into you?]

“W-Who’s there?!”

[I’m that divine spirit.]

The voice wasn’t coming from anywhere around me — it was echoing inside my head.

“Wait… so I really did die and come back to life?”

[That’s right. God reshaped you — and blessed you with an extraordinary gift.]

“It can read my thoughts?!”

[Our souls are connected. I need to know your truest desires in order to draw out your gift.]

“My… truest desires?”

[Your genuine, selfless wishes. The gift won’t respond to evil or twisted desires — it only activates when your intentions align with the mission God entrusted you with: helping others.]

I didn’t fully get it, but it seemed like the gift could only be used for good.

And the spirit was here to make sure my intentions stayed pure.

[You’re quick to catch on. Think of me as the trigger — when your true desire ignites, I pull that trigger and release the gift.]

So it’s like I have a weapon inside me.

[That’s not far off. But since you’re still unfamiliar with your gift, I’ll help guide you until you learn how to use it properly. That’s why God placed me here.]

“About this gift… what exactly can I do with it? What kind of powers do I have?”

[I don’t know.]

“…You don’t know?”

[The gift only reveals itself when the right situation arises and your true desire is awakened. That means there are many different abilities — but you’ll only discover them as you face different situations.]

“So how do I start figuring them out?”

[Simple. You need to meet people who need your gift.]

So I need to go where people are.

[The more people, the better.]