<Young lamb, are you studying diligently?>
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ asked as he rested his hand on the steering wheel.
“…Yes.”
Madojin’s voice came from the back seat.
Sitting in the passenger seat, I glanced back at Madojin.
‘He looks exactly like the pampered son of some well-off family…’
Always studying, always buried in books….
Even as I thought that, it was hard to tell him to relax, especially considering the book he held was titled Essential Korean Common Knowledge for Foreigners.
‘He’s not exactly from abroad…’
But the truth was, Madojin really did lack basic knowledge for living here.
I sighed and looked straight ahead. ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ drove with impeccable skill. His control over the vehicle had the polished ease of a veteran chauffeur, as if he’d served politicians for decades.
We were currently heading toward Gwangjin-gu in Seoul.
<…There is someone living there whom the young lamb and I must atone to.>
So the archangel explained. Once I heard the full story, it all made sense.
‘That place…’
Was where the real Madojin’s mother lived.
Of course, I didn’t intend to call the person sitting behind me a “fake,” but—
The current Madojin’s identity was obtained through Enoch.
Using the death of the real Madojin, who had already passed away, Enoch manipulated reality and inscribed the name into this world. He altered the mother’s memories so that Madojin could live in that home.
‘The problem is…’
Around the time of the final stage, the enchantment on the mother was lifted.
<It’s likely that around then, Enoch was preparing to descend fully into the physical realm. He must’ve started retracting the enchantments he placed on the human world.>
According to ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’, descending into the human world from the domain of constellations required considerable effort. That’s why, even before ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’ banned descents entirely, most constellations didn’t descend unless absolutely necessary.
“But still…”
I looked out the window as I spoke.
“…Did Enoch really think he did nothing wrong? It’s kind of shocking.”
<What part exactly?>
Even the question was surprising in itself.
“I thought constellations were all on humanity’s side. That they sponsored Hunters during the era of the Gates because they were humanity’s allies…”
But no matter how I looked at it, Enoch didn’t seem like anyone’s ally.
<You’re overestimating constellations, Eunyul.>
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ smiled gently.
<You shouldn’t believe constellations are absolute. All constellations—except for ‘The Savior Who Is One and All’—are flawed beings. Myself included.>
“Still, they’re a bit too powerful to be called flawed.”
<From a human perspective, yes—constellations are immensely powerful. But power has nothing to do with perfection. The stronger one is, the more prone they are to obsession, and the easier it is to become intoxicated by their own greatness. In that sense…>
Enoch was closer to a fallen constellation—one who couldn’t handle his own power.
“…So, what happened to Enoch?”
<He’s undergoing punishment in the Celestial Realm. You won’t be seeing him again. Maybe your 20th-generation descendants might, though.>
“20 generations? That’s some scale…”
I leaned back into the seat.
‘She lost her son…’
…Only to live believing someone else was him. How did that mother feel when she realized that? Knowing it was all a lie crafted by a rogue constellation made it harder to accept.
I turned slightly and looked at Madojin in the back seat.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Madojin asked, meeting my gaze.
“…No reason.”
As always, his expression gave nothing away.
But I didn’t need to guess his emotions anymore. I knew too much about Madojin now.
‘He must be feeling a whirlwind inside.’
That’s what I thought as I turned to face forward again.
“By the way…”
I looked at ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’.
“There’s something I’d like to ask you.”
I told him about Aiden.
If not all constellations were good…
If not all of them cherished humans… if there could be others like Enoch…
‘Aiden’s constellation…’
If ‘The Mother Who Burns Eternally’ was also a fallen constellation like Enoch, and if Aiden was under her influence—
<No. That’s different.>
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ replied firmly.
He said it like someone who definitely knew something.
<Of course. The archangels exist to watch over constellations on behalf of ‘The Savior Who Is One and All.’ We failed to detect Enoch’s rebellion because he sat too high. But we receive full reports on those with lower divinity.>
However…
He trailed off.
<Though I would like to tell you what I know, I cannot disclose anything about ‘The Mother Who Burns Eternally’ or her contractor.>
“So you want to tell me, but you can’t? What is this, a riddle?”
<It’s not a riddle.>
He tilted his head and looked at me.
Then spoke.
<‘The Mother Who Burns Eternally’ [ACCESS DENIED]s her contractor, and the contractor [ACCESS DENIED]s ‘The Mother Who Burns Eternally.’ Their journey is toward [ACCESS DENIED], and so all [ACCESS DENIED] are forbidden from intervening.>
“…Huh?”
I was dumbfounded.
At every critical word, ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ mechanically said “[ACCESS DENIED]”.
<It is…>
He sighed.
<Because revealing this information is explicitly forbidden by ‘The Savior Who Is One and All.’>
“…What.”
I laughed weakly in disbelief.
Why?
People—myself included—have suffered because of Aiden.
And I can’t learn the truth because the Creator forbids it?
‘No way…’
…Is the Creator covering for him?
A few hours later.
Dusk was settling in.
We arrived at an apartment in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ led the way, with Madojin and me trailing behind. Both of us had our masks on and hoodies pulled over our heads.
‘I said I’d come, but…’
I wasn’t sure if I should really be here.
Three guys suddenly showing up at someone’s doorstep to say “We came to apologize!” seemed a little weird.
<We’re here.>
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ stopped in front of a door.
I turned to look at Madojin.
He stood straight, unmoving.
I couldn’t see his face clearly behind the mask, but it was unreadable.
<Young lamb, do you need time to prepare yourself?>
“I don’t.”
Madojin replied flatly.
“This is a moment I’ve always known I had to face. No matter what resentment I hear, I must apologize.”<A noble resolve.>
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ smiled and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—
The cheerful chime sounded oddly mocking.
Silence passed, then the sound of small footsteps approached. Strangely enough, I felt like I was the most nervous one out of the three of us.
The door lock clicked open.
An old front door creaked as it swung open.
“…Ah.”
A middle-aged woman peeked through the gap, catching sight of Madojin’s masked face, and murmured softly.
“You’re here.”
She smiled.
Then she opened the door wide.
“Come in.”
She turned her head toward the interior of the house, welcoming us.
“Excuse me.”
Madojin stepped in.
‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ followed.
“Th-thank you for having us….”
I followed on my toes into this unfamiliar woman’s home.
“Would you like some tea?”
She asked, rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.
At the four-person table, Madojin, the Archangel, and I sat down.
“If you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept.”
Madojin replied.
“What about your friends?”
She asked.
<Thank you. I’ll have some too.>
“Th-thank you very much…!”
The Archangel and I replied together.
….
And so, we had tea.
‘Seems like she lives alone…’
I looked around the house and thought.
‘…Did she lose her husband too?’
It reminded me of my own mom.
But I couldn’t find the words. Silence stretched on. We sipped the steaming tea in quiet gulps. I looked at Madojin’s stoic face, trying to gauge the fear hidden beneath it.
“…I…”
Eventually, after overcoming that fear, Madojin spoke.
“…have committed a sin that no apology can erase.”
“I see…”
The woman replied in a drained voice.
“…Yeah. I don’t know what method you used, but still…”
<Madam.>
Suddenly, ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell’ spoke.
<May I say something?>
He sounded like a teacher in a parent-teacher meeting.
<You may resent him. And I believe that resentment is justified to a degree. But as you may know, the constellations bear a certain responsibility for everything that happens in this world.>
He spoke smoothly—then suddenly stopped.
Flash—!
A burst of light.
The blond young man in a suit vanished, replaced by the robed form of a high-ranking archangel.
“Oh my…”
The woman looked at him in shock.
But he gave her no time to react before he began explaining everything.
About Madojin’s true identity.
About Enoch’s existence.
And then—
“…So he really was a boy with no name and no parents.”
The woman said softly, and Madojin nodded.
“I can’t undo what I did.”
He spoke calmly.
“Because it cannot be undone, I believe my penance must continue.”
Flash—!
Another burst of light.
And in ceremonial robes—
“I was a soul that passed away without ever being born. I couldn’t be completed as a human. So under the guidance of ‘The Archangel Who Cast Down the King of Hell,’ I became an angel.”
Madojin appeared, white wings on his back.
“And this is both my atonement and my first mission as an angel…”
He joined his hands in prayer.
Then, Madojin’s form began to dissolve, and slowly changed into the shape of another man.
“…Ah.”
Seeing her face twist with sorrow, I realized—that man was her real son.
“It’s been a while, Mom.”
The man smiled.
“I was lazing around in Heaven, and then an angel showed up to apologize. He said he’d grant me a wish, so, hmm…”
He chuckled.
“…I asked for a little miracle.”
To the mother, it must’ve all felt like a fleeting instant.
Every moment.
He talked about life in Heaven, how he felt like he was about to reincarnate. That the longer he stayed there, the more his humanity faded, and everything had become dull.
“But now…”
He smiled.
“…I’m so happy to see you again.”
At those words, the woman stood up.
Then embraced her son.
Her sobs echoed softly in our ears.
I watched them, holding the now-cold teacup in my hands.
‘If I had died…’
Back in middle school—would Mom have spent her life chasing after my memory?
My heart grew heavy.
<…As I thought, my judgment was not wrong.>
The Archangel murmured, looking at me.
<Enoch failed…>
But his descendant—
Would surely become a good angel.
Little Pink Starfish 
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