Chapter Text
"Jin,"
Jin spins around to find a shaky Jimin at his doorframe. He shoots up from his seat and motions the boy to come in. Jimin closes the door behind him, his other hand clutching tightly onto his mobile phone.
"Everything... alright?" Jin sees, out the window, Yoongi taking out the trash. He doesn't seem strange or startled as Jimin is right now. So that means it's not their couple fight. "Jimin?"
Jimin shows his phone to Jin. There's a photo attached with two-line message that reads: I am applying for the position. My name is Taehyung.
Jin tries to mask his smile with a gasp and a hand to his mouth.
Jimin nods. "What do we tell Yoongi? He'll freak."
"Jimin," Jin takes the phone and locks it. Then he hands it back. "He doesn't remember."
Jimin's eyes get brighter at that. "You're right!"
Of course he's right. He's been waiting for the right time to be this right.
"They can start over." Jin says with a smile. "We all can start over."
* * *
One Years ago, when Yoongi left him to look after the injured Jungkook, Jin had a thought. It wasn't particularly a crazy thought, but it was a thought that could save lives. He had made sure Jungkook was deep asleep first before he summoned Hwa.
The dragon queen was perplexed as she stood before a young man. She wanted to question him, her lips parted slightly. But she wasn't able to, as Jin spoke to her first.
"I have enough of your daughter," he said. "So? Should I just take her, or do you want to put up a show to your son to get back on his good side?"
Hwa raised a hand to her braid, pushing it back from her chest. "Such a strong ally," she commented. "Chaeyong would have never guessed."
"Thanks, I like to stay lowkey."
"Are you their friend or their foe?"
Jin raised one of his eyebrows. "Have I taken any of them yet?"
"If you are their friend, why don't you give Taehyung back to Yoongi? You've seen how miserable he's been."
Jin let out a laugh at that. "Timing, Hwa."
"You may have all the time in the world in your hand, but for those kids, time is limited."
"A considerate mother," Jin had smiled sincerely. If they were in a different situation, if he had known her in a different time, perhaps they could have been good friends. "I envy Yoongi."
Hwa seemed to stop and stare at the sleeping Jungkook for a moment, taking in the way his chest heaving up at down at his breathing. She felt sad for the boy, ashamed, even, to see him like this knowing that her daughter was the one who caused this.
Her gaze fell on her son, who was not really her son by blood, but she had loved him just as he was. Hoseok laid still on the floor, his face already paled. There he was, down at the feet of Death, not having any idea how much pain he had caused just because he had loved his sister—as a brother would.
Hwa took a moment before she replied, "I take your offer."
"Very well," Jin clasped his hands together. "Off to the Palace, you go. Teach your daughter well."
"Thank you, Death."
Jin flicks his finger and Hwa disappeared, leaving thin smoke in the air. It had been a while since he was addressed as who he really was, the last time seemed to be with Jin himself, when Death came to take him. Such a distant memory.
"So you're Death..." Jungkook murmured. Death—Jin, turned quickly, though there was no fear in his eyes. He cupped Jungkook's face and shushed him with a short melody.
"You're hallucinating, baby bird."
Jungkook hummed along to the melody and fell back asleep.
-
When Yoongi came back carrying Jimin, Jin was punched out of his breath. Jimin wasn't supposed to die. He had no plan for Jimin to die yet.
"Did that girl do this? Where is she now?" He had asked.
But Yoongi did not answer him and he was left even more frustrated.
"Are we leaving him here? We can't. Maybe he'll wake up soon." He'll wake up, he has to. I didn't take him!
But Yoongi had given up too easily. What happened exactly? What did Chae do? And what did Hwa tell him? Yoongi seemed way to calm, it was scary. The Yoongi he knew would have flipped the world upside down by now.
Death felt something went through him. He looked to Yoongi again. Nothing. The gold light that had always been surrounding him was gone.
Mortal... Death breathed. Yoongi had become a mortal.
He looked to somewhere, something was waiting to jump out of the shadow.
Someone had interfered. Someone...
Death paused. Of course. Who else would fight his way from the dead to save Jimin other than Jimin's father?
But taking Yoongi's immortality in return? That was low. Low and genius.
Jin helped Jungkook up on his feet, slowly walking him outside. Soon, Jimin's father would show up and Jimin would return.
All his immortality would be stripped away, for the person who came back from the dead would have to lose something. They'd live as a mortal—Yoongi and Jimin, and they'd die as one too.
Jin held a smile back from appearing on his lips. He watched Yoongi conversing with Jaeha, the proud warlord who had claimed everything he touched. Too bad he happened to lay a hand on the Dragon Queen—now the three claw marks on his throat shall serve as a grim reminder, that the higher you fly, the stronger the impact will be when you fall.
And that death would always be there, patiently waiting. For everyone.