Operation Catch the Angel - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Guys, you have no idea. I never thought I’d live long enough to experience growing wings out of my back.

Apparently, it took some secret technique to let me have wings for a short while.

A person ascends to Heaven, sprouts wings for the first time, and honestly? Feels pretty good.

Except when I fly, I look like a dog paddling through the air.

After the Undercover Angel saw me fly, all hope drained from his face. He folded his wings, muttered something under his breath, and finally said to me, “Oh, my dear friend, thank Heaven you are not an angel.”

Thanks. Really.

Heaven and Hell were basically two extremes.

In Hell, every time I ate outside, I’d hear a whole new batch of gossip. Sometimes I even got to watch a few people throw down.

The problem was, the two people fighting would be fine, while I, an innocent bystander, nearly got punched to death.

After that, Asmodeus had no choice but to accompany me on my walks. If he couldn’t get away, he’d have the Hellhound watch me.

Yes. The dog walked the person.

Every time we came back from a walk, the Hellhound’s eyes carried the weight of a hard life. It would lie there motionless, staring at me with a haunted look.

I was haunted too.

The Three-headed Hound was just too huge. Demons and fallen angels all took detours around it, which meant the amount of gossip I could hear was cut in half.

More than once, I saw Lucifer ask in confusion, “Cerberus? Why are you so tired?”

Then he would turn to me. “And why are you so tired too? Is work getting too stressful?”

I felt extremely guilty.

Heaven, on the other hand, was quiet and spotless. From somewhere in the distance came the faint voices of little angels reciting lessons. Angels passing one another would exchange polite greetings, courteous yet reserved.

After flying just a few steps, I felt like my posture had defiled this pure, elegant, all-white environment.

“When Muro comes to choose later, don’t speak… and don’t fly,” the Undercover Angel warned me. His expression was grave, and it was obvious he felt this matter was a little tricky. “Lord Asmodeus has already instructed me. I’ll handle the rest.”

“My lord is here!”

A little angel fluttered in on tiny wings and called out loudly.

I stared fixedly at the little angel’s fluffy golden hair. My fingers twitched of their own accord.

The Undercover Angel predicted my move and slammed a hand down over mine. His beautiful eyes glared at me viciously.

I accepted correction with grace. “I was wrong.”

Chapter 5

We arrived at the Golden Hall.

A row of young angels stood neatly in line, their bright, energetic faces filled with visible excitement and nerves.

The Undercover Angel went to welcome the Seraph.

I got a little bored standing among the candidates, so I brought out the Eastern art of small talk and started chatting with the youths around me.

These uncorrupted angels were pure. Easy to fool.

In no time at all, I’d practically dug up every last secret these youngsters had.

“You all seem to really like Lord Muro, huh?” I asked, rubbing my chin.

“Of course! My lord is a powerful and beautiful Seraph!” The young angel’s eyes lit up the instant Muro was mentioned. “He’s the most beautiful angel I’ve ever seen!”

This one was a die-hard Muro admirer.

“Nonsense! Lord Michael is clearly the most beautiful and most powerful angel!”

This one was a toxic Michael-only stan.

“I think both lords possess beauty and strength in equal measure. We shouldn’t favor one over the other.”

This one was a master of keeping the peace.

“What do you think?”

The three of them couldn’t convince one another, so they all looked at me in perfect unison.

Me: “I’m the best-looking person in all of Heaven.”

I might not be able to satisfy everyone, but I could make everyone dissatisfied.

Silence was tonight’s Heaven.

The three angels looked me up and down, then turned their heads away in tacit agreement.

I said, “Hey, hey, hey. Back in the day, I was the handsome young man everyone praised for miles around.”

Just as I was about to start bragging, one of the young angels lowered his head and silently tugged on my sleeve.

“Look behind you,” he mouthed.

A chill instantly ran down my spine. I had the ominous feeling of playing on my phone in class only to realize the homeroom teacher was standing right behind me. Stiffly, I turned around slowly and saw the Undercover Angel’s ashen face, along with a silver-haired young man staring at me expressionlessly.

“You.”

Muro lifted a jade-carved finger and pointed at me, his voice indifferent.

I was a little dazed. I couldn’t believe this guy had picked me so smoothly. Was there some other conspiracy behind this?

Muro lowered his white lashes, his cool, clear blue eyes fixed on me. “Perfect. My residence has a mirror.”

Me: “…”