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The best mint tea Yoo Seonho ever tasted was in Belgium. It was in a little café nearby the hotel he stayed in, and it reminds him of the 1920s era off of the vibe it had. His father often bring the whole family for a trip there every year, and they'd always come back to the same café. All for the sweet, sweet tea and the bitter aftertaste—for the relaxing aroma and of course, the people and their culture. Of course, that was only the mind of a nine year old because now, Seonho knows very well that Belgium was for business purposes.

Even so, his father never prevented him from going back to the same café. There was never a reason to do so. But at twenty years young in the mid-summer of 2021, that same café he's loved for so long is no longer there. The shop lot was occupied by another, and the banner that wrote Le café de Monica was gone along with the beautiful roses that surrounded the place. It's been replaced with a hipster café that probably sells things with almond milk and didn't give off that authentic vibe and coziness.

The menu outside has changed too, and though there was also mint tea, Seonho knows it will be different. He does not knows what particularly he likes about the old café until he's become so attached. Because it doesn't make sense that his heart sunk so deep that he's sure his stomach is a bottomless pit. It was just tea, sure, but the tea represents his youth and the last moments he had with his beloved mother. Seonho often visits her, but it is not quite the same as how they used to be.

Seonho doesn't mind living with his father since they do have a bond, however a son and mother can't truly separate. It's awkward now because the law stands between them, and the fact that his parents don't speak at all anymore only added more salt to the wound. And perhaps because of that, is why Yoo Seonho stood still in front of the café that was no longer nostalgic, crying. He did not even bother feeling self-conscious that people might be watching, because he knows well that the most powerful thing humans can do is ignoring. And he was right, because the passers-by only passed by without even a mere glance.

"Are you alright,Monsieur?" A deep voice asked in French from behind him, a soft and gentle hand on his shoulder to attract his attention.

Yoo Seonho was quite fluent in French since he has been practicing it for years, so he understood what the taller man said. "Yes, I am. Or, I will be." When he turns around to face the man after wiping his tears away on the back of his long-sleeved shirt, Seonho was quite stunned by the latter's visuals. The man was dressed in all black—from his turtleneck, his coat, his slacks and his strange top hat-which enhanced his pale skin and cherry red lips. His eyes were filled with an unknown concern but at the same time expressionless. Despite that, it was no joke that the man standing in front of Seonho now is out of this world with his double eyelids and soft yet strong features.

Seonho understands now why the world isn't perfect. Because all the perfection in this world seemed to go to this man.

"But you still have tears in your eyes." The man points out, which embarrassed Seonho a little.

"I guess I'm just going crazy then." Seonho says in Korean mindlessly.

"Oh, you're Korean." The man responds back in the same language and gives a gummy smile, dimples on display. Hearing the words made Seonho's eyes go wide as the blush in his cheeks deepened, too embarrassed now.

"Y-you're Korean as well? I thought you might be Chinese!" He exclaims in surprise.

The man's eyes squinted a little, and brought his thumb and index finger close together, "You're this close. But I'm Taiwanese. I just happen to speak a little Korean."

"That makes sense. 'Cause your Korean is a little accented." Said Seonho as he copies the man's previous actions with his own fingers, "Just a little." He smiles after, and looked straight back into the man's eyes.

"I made you smile. My work here is done." The man says with a grin, and begins to walk away with his hands in the pockets of his slacks.

That surprised Seonho as he watches the man leaves, and it felt like a movie in slow-motion as he hesitates to call out for him. "W-wait! At least tell me your name!" Surprisingly, he stops mid-way and takes the time to turn around.

"I wonder the same thing." The man dressed in black replied as an answer, chuckling to himself and bowed before disappearing into the crowd.

Just as he watches the man leave, Seonho's chest starts to ache painfully—in a way that forced his hand to clutch at his chest. "Ow, shit!" He curses, and tears start to form in his eyes once more, but now for a different reason. A longing for something lost and forgotten, mixed with the sadness about his mother.

After the strange encounter, Seonho finds himself looking at the world in a different way. And it maybe starts to look a little beautiful in all it's grim. He is unsure whether that was good thing or a bad thing.

Seonho is suddenly reminded of the meeting he promised his father he would go to while his father is busy in Japan. He looks at the watch on his wrist and sighs in relief to see he still had an hour to go. However, as his father has said a million times, punctuality makes a man. And so without taking a moment to reminisce his childhood and the café, Seonho left the scene and attends the business meeting.

A week later when he's back in South Korea, beat from errands given to him by his beloved father, Seonho finds himself in a convenience store waiting for the ramyeon to cook in the oven. He doesn't understand why, despite his father knowing he's only in college and is supposed to be having full attendance to all his classes—the old man insists on making him go overseas for conferences that he only half-understands. "God, finally." He mutters under his breath and took out the precious ramyeon and carrying it to an empty table.

As Seonho sits and takes his first bite, a black figure emerged and stood in front of him. Pale hands knocked on the table three times, which forced himself to look up in annoyance. Like, who the fuck had the nerve to interrupt someone's midnight dinner? And Seonho just got off a plane not too long ago. "W-" His words cut off immediately as he recognized the face in front of him. "You're the man from last week."

The man was still dressed in black—save for the small differences such as instead of slacks, he was wearing jeans instead. And instead of a turtleneck, it was a thick woolen sweater. Even his black coat was replaced with a long leather jacket type. The only thing that remained the same was the black hat in his pale hands. "You're supposed to unbutton your suit jacket when you sit. It's etiquette."

"What is this? The 1800s?" Seonho scoffs and decides to ignore the man. He continues to feed himself the ramyeon but the man only took it as a chance to sit across from him. It was as if the latter was purposely doing all this to spite him off.

"It's just better to follow the suit manner. Less creases on your suits."

"Right." Seonho mumbles with a mouth full of food. "But I'm eating now, and I am in no mood to chat. You would have to wait until I finish, so it's better you just go now since it is almost 1am."

"Oh, it's okay. I'll just wait then."

Seonho puts his chopsticks down in irritation. "Alright, what do you want?"

"Nothing much. No need to be rude." The man says.

At this, Seonho only scoffs ridiculously. "You were the one who left without telling me your name."

The words coming off from his mouth seemed to tense the other. The man's shoulders seemed to straighten a little as he takes a big gulp. "That...that's because I don't know it."

"What?" Seonho raised his eyebrows. "No way. Do you have a really embarrassing name?"

"Well, no. I just don't know my name. And it's said that it was better that way."

"What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone knows their names. Even people who forget it, they get new ones. Right?" Seonho reasons, "It's okay if it's embarrassing. Just tell me your name."

The man stays quiet, not knowing how to reply. "I'm sorry," He says shamelessly, "I really don't know my name."

Seonho hums then, deep in thought as he figures out a way to put a name on the man he's been dying to know about. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window, staring at the trees that covered part of the view of the neighbourhood. "If you insist on not telling, then I'll give you a temporary name."

"What?"

"What do you think of Kim Woobin? Can I just call you that?" He asks the man with a grin, as if he created the most creative name when in reality, he stole it off of an actor.

"Kim...Woobin?" The latter strokes his chin, "Isn't that an actor?"

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, but unless you will tell me your name-that is what I will be calling you from now on. Kim Woobin-ssi."

"Will you tell me your name, then?"

"Not my full name. For now, just call me Seon." Seonho smiles victoriously. "We're even then, Kim Woobin-ssi."

"Oh, you smiled for the first time tonight." Woobin points out. "I guess I'll go now."

"Hold on." Seonho ignores the comment and instead stops the man from leaving again without another word, and rammaged through his bag for any piece of paper he can find. Luckily, there is one that was probably torn off from a corner of some page of a book he misplaced. He takes out the pen that hung from the inside pocket of his jacket and scribbled over it. Once he was done, with shaky hands, Seonho hands it over to Woobin. "Call me sometime."

He watches as Woobin's pearly white teeth appeared as he smiles. "We'll see."

And just like that, the mysterious man in black left the convenience store as Seonho's heart could only hope he'll receive a call someday.

The next time Yoo Seonho meets a strangely beautiful man in black was already months later. By then, he was past the anger of not receiving a call—and he was way past the time to be petty over a stranger he's only met twice. For all he knew, the man could be a gigolo since a pretty face like that can't be real. The weather had turned from hot to a much more bearable air. It was neither too hot or too cold. Sure, 2021 was almost ending but there was not any particular memories he had this year that was unpleasant. There were even times when he could almost call it a miracle, as he was lucky to be alive.

For example, that time he nearly fell off the Han River when he was drunk one night. He probably almost lost his mind after drinking five bottles of soju and three glasses of beer in total. It was mostly from the result of stress, and also the pain in his heart that was left unknown of the cause. It hurt a lot after his trip to Belgium and his encounter with the man that is disguised by the name of an actor-as if he was particularly devastated over indirect rejection.

That night Seonho stumbled out of the bar alone after being kicked out by the owner because he was sprouting out nonsense. He had his car keys with him, and a wallet that was enough to pay for a driver. He even had his phone on, but he was not sober at all—and definitely not in the right mind. There are tales of people who subconsciously commits suicide under the influence of alcohol, and Seonho could have actually been one of them. But a miracle happened.

As he walks down the small path by the Han River bridge and looks down into the darkness of the blue sea, it suddenly occurred to him that he should just climb over and jump off to take his own life. However, it was maybe a breeze of wind or just something that made him trip back and faint instead. So the next morning when he woke up, Seonho almost believes it was just a dream before he dropped by the same bar that night and was told he was completely banned because of 'inappropriate behaviours'. He'd decided to shrug it off and just think that he somehow forgot the part where he managed to get home safely in his bed.

The second time he felt a miracle, Seonho mistook it as pure coincidence. Whenever he's caught thinking about it again, the situation sounds pretty cliché and similar to ones you'd find in a book or a movie. He was attending yet another meeting to represent his father's company in Canada. Seonho was tired afterwards, considering he went straight for the meeting a few hours after his flight so he barely got a blink of sleep. He was supposed to arrive in Canada a day earlier but his flight got delayed by a whole day.

His limbs were failing him now, so all plans of sight-seeing a little of Canada's capital city vanished as the exhaustion took over him. Instead, he hails a cab and asked the driver to drop him off across the street in front of the hotel he'll be stayin in. Honestly, the distance was quite short for him to walk and was supposed to take about 30 seconds for him to cross. But his mind wasn't in the right place that night either so his footsteps were a few seconds too late, and he forgot to look to his left. The next thing Seonho knew was his memories flashed in his mind before all he could see was white, and a car as it seems, came to a halt so quick that it slightly lifted off the road before dropping back to the ground with a bam.

"Oh my God, he's so lucky to be alive."

"It's a miracle."

"Did you see the car?"

Those were some things he heard people say in English. But what they don't know is that it was his second time to experience a near death and being saved by a 'miracle', and that Yoo Seonho almost died. Hell, even Seonho himself didn't know that.

Eventually, after saying 'Yes, I'm fine' to a few nice locals who was concerned about his well-being, Seonho manages to make it to the lobby of his hotel. He arrives in his room in no time since there was no one else in the lift with him, and was straight-away welcomed by the king-sized bed he would occupy tonight. It was more than comfortable he imagined it to be and the pillows were practically heaven in the form of feathers. Seonho slept well that night, even as he dreams of unimaginable things that he never knew meant a thing. He didn't believe it back then and wished he did now but you can't really blame him for ignoring the little things.

After all, it was just a dream.

After the fifth time he experienced the so-called 'miracles', Yoo Seonho starts to believe he's living off of something bigger than just coincidence. Call him crazy, but there really was no other explanation. "Hyung, do you believe in guardian angels?" He asks Minhyun, an older friend that is wise enough and also close enough for him to trust on things like this. They were in a café, having coffee.

"Why the sudden question?"

"This might sound stupid," Seonho sighs, "But I think I have one."

"Right." Minhyun snorts attractively (not), "And I have a billion in my bank account."

He sighs at the respond, knowing there wasn't any hope in this world where anyone would actually believe his nonsense. If Seonho even dared to make a small talk with strangers about the topic, he's sure he would have ended up in the asylum already. Minhyun eyes his dongsaeng carefully, watching as the younger man slouch in his seat, his coffee left untouched. "Explain to me. I'll at least listen to what you have to say." Minhyun says defeatedly after a few moments have passed.

"Well, I've been experiencing a lot of near-death experiences lately. I remember each and every one of them, and I'm always sure I will die after watching my whole life in just mere seconds. But I never do. I'm still here, having coffees with you every now and then, but the only difference is that my heart tightens a little each time and I cry unexpectedly sometimes." Seonho explains, as his hand subconsciously touched the left part of his chest where the heart was, "Now I'm not sure if I can handle this much pain anymore, because my heart has been tightened around nine times already in the past several months. It's already 2022, and this has been going on since I met that man in black last year."

"And?" Minhyun pesters, since Seonho stopped abruptly in telling his story, as if hesitating to continue. But it was better to have the young man spill out his feelings at one go instead of letting him keep it in.

"The strangest part is, I feel like that man is my angel. The only times we met was once in Brussels and another at a convenience store. And both of the times we met, he said something about making me smile." He pats on the spot above his heart. "And it hurts."

"If he's your angel, then why should it hurt?" Minhyun suggests, "Do you believe that it's not just miracles?"

"I do." Seonho says, nodding shamelessly.

"Then hyung does too." Minhyun reassures the latter, referring to himself. "I believe you too."

And that was all Seonho needed to hear. 

Hwang Minhyun left the café hours ago since he had some errands to run. Seonho stayed at his spot, unmoved. He didn't feel like going home that evening, since there was nothing to do. He had finished this month's assignment for his classes too so there really was nothing he could do to entertain himself. He can't even drop by the bar he used to frequent anymore since he's still banned from coming. "What are you staring at, Seonnie-ssi?" A familiar yet an unfamiliar voice rang in his ears. Seonho looks up from where he was staring at and was met with a pair of dark eyes and a smile.

"Kim Woobin-ssi?" Seonho's eyes widened in disbelief. From a satisfied feeling to a newfound anger, his expressions changed quickly. "Yah, I gave you my number! Why haven't you tried to call at all?"

"Was I obligated to call you?" Woobin asks.

"What?" Seonho questions.

"I mean, you just gave me your number and told me to call. But did you ever think that maybe I just didn't want to?" Woobin's cold expression startled him a little, and it felt as though he was much more bigger than Seonho—drowning him a little.

"B-but why? I mean, I thought we could be friends. Since you talked to me first." Seonho struggles to speak as tears formed in his eyes, the unknown pain back to clench his heart a lot more tighter. "Shit, that hurts." He curses under his breath.

Woobin watches as the younger male chokes out a sob as he repeatedly curses out profanities. "What's wrong with you? Are you okay?"

"No. I've been like this for almost a year now." The latter manages to explain.

"Do you know why?"

"I think this is caused by you." Seonho says simply after a while when it starts to hurt a little less. The man sat across from him looked dumbfounded by what he said, and only stares at the spot on Seonho's chest where his heart was.

Suddenly, a tear fell out of the corner of Woobin's eye. He clenches his heart too, "Do you believe in destinies?" He asks in a soft voice, mouth slightly open as he tries to endure the pain. When Seonho stays quiet, Woobin allows himself to continue. "Remember when I told you I don't remember my name? I really meant it back then. And that day when I pat on your shoulder and asked if you were okay, I don't know why I did it. I could've just ignored it but my heart stung a little when you cried. I thought it was just guilt, and decided to make sure you smile to make myself less guilty. But I only felt more pain afterwards."

"Does it feel like your heart is being clenched and you're only breaths away from death?" Seonho asks.

Woobin shakes his head. "No," He begins, "It feels as though I will never die and never be able to escape the pain. Like living but without a soul."

Destiny? Fate? Was that what tied them together?

The two men can only question, because getting to the truth will be a long process. "You said you don't know your name. But do you at least know who you are?" Seonho asks, pressing the man to say it. He wants to know that he's right, to hear from the Woobin's mouth that he's the guardian angel that has been preventing his deaths.

"I'm an Angel of Death." Woobin says slowly, feeling as though he could trust the person sat across from him. "And I was supposed to collect your soul."

Yoo Seonho did not bother showing any emotions and was quick to run away as far as he could from the sight of the man who claims himself to be a grim reaper. It was too much of a burden for a mere human like himself to carry, and it was quite frightening-knowing that you were actually supposed to die. Anything he does from now on, Seonho has to be careful of. He feels the air around him getting hotter by thinking he could be moments away from his death, and at a young age as well. "Oh my God, I can't." He mumbles, "Am I crazy?"

The world starts to spin, and Seonho felt dizzy. He stumbles against a wall and eventually drops to the pavement. 

It was raining again. The thunder roared aloud, and he is sure if he dares to step his foot outside, the wind would be just as harsh and can practically lift him off the ground. He stares at the young prince who was staring out the window too. Inside the palace walls, he was safe. "Young prince, the Empress requests for you." Seonho speaks up, since that was the only reason he was in the prince's room in the first place.

The prince did not do anything, only kept his silence. Then, footsteps start to echo as he leaves the room without a word. Seonho did not realise it, but he was holding his breath the whole time. It always happened whenever he was given the task to inform the young prince of something—which was all the time since that was basically his job. Perhaps his fear came from the same night he was found fainted right outside the palace gates while being chased by a bunch of soldiers who eventually lost him along the way since none of them thought he'd go into the direction of the palace. Seonho was not a criminal, just a mere Korean by who managed to escape the Chinese soldiers who were ordered by the King from the east side to kill him. Instead, now Seonho was taken in by the Emperor—who is much more powerful—and served his crown prince. So for now, Yoo Seonho is pretending to be a Chinese boy.

And he thinks that the young prince might know something about it.

The Emperor died in war a few months after he came. The Empress fell sick just a few days after receiving the news of her husband's death, which forced the young prince to the throne. It was meant to be temporary, so they didn't prepare any coronation for it yet. However with the state the Empress is in now, it seems that they have no other choice but to put Prince Lai Kuanlin to the throne as soon as possible before the news spreads and the cousins of the royal family start to butt in. Yoo Seonho has been planning to escape from the palace walls for months now, but he thinks it was better if he just stayed a little longer and played as the young prince's servant and advisor for now. It was quite risky staying by the royal family's side since there was a possibility he could be locked up for impersonating the lost son of a late Chinese noble that used to serve the royals back then.

This might sound wrong too, but Yoo Seonho couldn't find the will in his heart to leave the young prince. The prince was only a year older than him at 16 years old, and he believes it might be a bit much to start ruling four kingdoms at that age. Other than that, despite how much Seonho fears the royal family, he can't help but feel a sort of attraction towards their crown prince. He knows he will get nothing out of it but resentment from the royal line and the public for loving not just any man, but a prince. It won't be hard to act unsuspiciously. All he has to do is make sure he stays for a while before leaving the prince's side once he's managed to stabalize his ruling.

Seonho was sweating when he woke up in a hospital ward. There was a painful ache in his head. By instincts, he pressed his thumb in between his eyes and massaged the spot. It was something his mother taught him before when he was a small boy, and it's been a habit of his whenever he gets headaches. "What was that dream about?" He asks himself, keeping his eyes closed before the ache starts to calm down. The moment he fluttered his eyes open, Seonho noticed that the seat by his bed was occupied by Kim Woobin. Or was it...Lai Kuanlin? He was sure that the prince in his dream was all too familiar and looked exactly like Woobin. There was no way this was all just a coincidence anymore, right? Why else would he dream of something so detailed and specific? He wonders whether that was who he used to be in one of his past lives, or maybe another world where everything was still traditional even in the year 2022.

Woobin shifts in his seat, and groans before slowly opening his eyes to see Seonho wide awake on the bed. "Seon-ssi?"

"Woobin-ssi...was what you said just now true? Are you really a grim reaper?"

Woobin's mouth threatened to spill, and he'd decided to just come clean anyways. "Yes, I am."

"Aren't grim reapers what they are because they are paying for their sins?" Seonho asks straightforwardly and watches Woobin nod in confirmation. "But what did you do so wrong that you are being punished?" He then mumbles to himself, thinking the latter did not hear his words.

"I don't know that either." The other speaks up. "To be honest, I know almost nothing about myself except for the fact that I have only 100 years left to repay for my sins before I get to be reborn like normal humans do."

Just a hundred years? Seonho thinks to himself in disbelief. "Then how long have you been this way?"

"I think I'm 573 years old now." The latter says after a moment of thinking.

Seonho's eyes widen, and he felt his heart clench even tighter at the sound of that. "It's been that long?"

"Well, I'm supposed to have only 27 years left on the clock. But I keep delaying your death." The older man says as if it was normal.

"Why the hell would you do that?!"

"It might sound crazy," Woobin says sheepishly, "But I think I'm in love with you."

And that, sent shards of glass to Seonho's bruised heart. He's bleeding on the inside without knowing. "Ah-ouch!"

"W-what's wrong? Why are you like this?"

"Woobin-ssi, what if I told you I think I know your name?" Seonho asks, putting his hand up to stop the man from coming any closer to him.

That did stop Woobin from coming any closer. He gulps, "What do you mean?"

"While I was unconscious, I dreamt of something strange." Seonho explains, trying to endure the pain.

"If you're hurt, you don't have to say anything. We can talk later, and I-I can call the doctor." Woobin says panickedly.

"No. You have to collect my soul this time. I know you're trying to save me from my death again. Don't extend your suffering." His heart was tearing from the inside out, and he thinks he would actually die this time. "Answer my question."

"If a reaper finds out his name...all his memories will be revived. H-he," Woobin chokes out as tears start to spill out of his eyes. "He will find out his sins and will be taking shots from a thousand shooting stars going through his heart for every year that's left in his punishment all at once. Then, he will be reborn."

"Is taking the hit better than living for another 100 years collecting souls and watching people die?"

"Some reapers believe it's the only blessing a grim reaper like me can get." He says, and reaches out to take Seonho's hand in his. They're supposed to feel warm, but his death was nearing so it gradually becomes colder by the second.

"You said you'll be reborn after that, right?" Seonho asks, smiling through the pain. "I'll reborn too, right? How many lives do I have left?"

"This is already your second life..."

The younger of the two lets his tear slip. "Then I'll have two more to meet you again," He whispers, holding his lost lover's hands tighter. He doesn't care what crime the latter has committed before, nor does he care what history that holds them apart from each other. All Seonho knows is that the love they have was still there, and had always been there-because the reason he cried that day in Belgium wasn't just the café but because he's somehow felt Kuanlin's energy. "Lai Kuanlin-ssi, I love you."

"Mum," Kuanlin says softly as he sits by his mother's weakened body. "You called?"

His mother hums in response, a weak smile on her face upon looking at her beloved son's face. "You will have to rule now, my dear. I don't think time is on my side anymore." She says while caressing her son's cheek where tears start to stream down his face. "I don't even get to see you get married. But promise me you'll find someone decent."

"What if I have already found one?" Kuanlin asks. "And it's...a boy?"

"A boy?" His mother did not sound surprised at all. Maybe it was because she was too weak and could not process much of her surroundings or even understand much. "That's counted as a crime, I'm sure. And you will get a lot of harm in your way. But you will be the Emperor no matter what, so no one can say anything if you decide to have a man as your bride."

"B-but, then we won't be able to conceive a child and have an heir to the throne. Cousin Yien will take the place then."

"Don't worry, Kuanlin-ah." His mother shushed him. "Your people will have to follow what the Emperor says. If you believe that it's love, then don't let them win."

Don't let them win. But Kuanlin let them anyways, out of cowardice. 

The weather was beautiful after his mother died. It was as if she became the sun and lit up the sky just for him after raining for hours earlier. They decided to have the coronation held today as well, so that no one could do anything to stop the process. Lai Kuanlin did not cry during the funeral just now, since he had already had time to do so alone a few minutes before they prepared the coffin. An Emperor must also not show his emotions and keep a stern look to be feared by his subjects. Now, he was back in his room and waiting to get dressed. When the servant who entered was not Yoo Seonho, Kuanlin became disappointed. "Why are you here?" He demands from the boy whose face he did not recognize. The boy seemed startled.

"I was told to serve you because senior Liu Shanhao was busy with the decorations."

"Call for him. Tell him it's an order." Kuanlin says sternly and snatched the Hanfu from the boy's hand. "Hurry!"

The boy scrambled away to obey the soon-to-be Emperor's words, running.

Kuanlin just waits for Shanhao's arrival and hangs the Hanfu somewhere. A few minutes later, his expected guest stands by his doorway. "You called for me, your highness?"

"Shanhao..." Kuanlin begins to say, "You're Korean, right?"

The world seemed to stop for a moment for Seonho upon hearing that the crown prince has known for a long time. He wonders if the prince was only waiting for the right moment to uncover the secret. "Your highness, I can explain."

"You don't have to. I'm not angry. And I already know from your diaries, I even witnessed it myself that night." Kuanlin explains to the shorter boy. "At first, I was hesitant and wanted to tell father that you're just a liar. But you have somehow become my friend while you served me, and then I start noticing how pretty you are."

Seonho's eyes widened as his ears listened to the shocking confession. Kuanlin continued, "I've been kind to you, haven't I? But you still seemed to be afraid of me."

Then, Seonho starts to think of all the moments where his heart flutter by the small gestures the prince would do before this. Ones where he would be caught by Kuanlin just as he would fall to the ground, or where the prince insisted on having Seonho accompany him whenever he's doing some reading or walk in the palace gardens and watch the sunset. The prince would sometimes give a basket of apples for Seonho to eat since servants rarely get that type of luxury. There was even that one time Kuanlin forced Seonho to be the model for a painting. "I was always afraid you will tell on me to your parents. If you knew for such a long time, why did you stay quiet?"

"I started to love you." The young prince says.

A beat.

"What?"

"I will be Emperor soon. Even if I have a boy as my bride, no one will be able to object me. Rule number one-the Emperor is always right." Kuanlin explains, taking Seonho's hands in his large ones. "And rule number two is even if the Emperor is wrong, refer to rule number one."

"Of course, the offer to become my bride is only if you agree to it, Yoo Seonho."

"How do you know that's my name?"

"The whole time you were next to me while I was studying, you never thought to look at what I was doing?" Kuanlin asks, smiling to himself. "I was deciphering the differences between Korean characters and Chinese characters."

"W-what?" Seonho asks, flustered.

"So, would you..." The prince trailed off, "Be my bride? Or groom? I'm not sure how this works, I only know I'm in love."

"I-wow." The younger exclaims, his cheeks burning red. He wanted to go back to Korea but how can he now? When there's a perfectly good-looking man in front of him, offering a reason for him to stay, and a promise for a forbidden marriage that would be legal soon. Nothing could go wrong, right? "Of course. I-I think I'm in love with you too."

With smiles on both their faces, the two boys shared a kiss and officially sealed off the beginning of their love. Or maybe the end.

"I object." Cousin Yien announces in the middle of coronation for Lai Kuanlin. The people of four kingdoms gasped, speaking in hushed tones, wondering what the sweet, sweet prince ever did. "I heard from a little source that the prince will have a man as his bride." Shock filled the room, as they kept on gossiping. Yoo Seonho's eyes met with the prince's in panic. Fear bubbled up in his throat, his position unmoved from where he stood in the crowd. Who could have known?

"Instead of the bastard there, I offer myself as the rightful heir to the throne." The people in the crowd start to change their minds and agree with Yien's words.

"Silence!" A voice echoed throughout the coronation hall. "Settle down, I have a solution." The royal family's advisor announced. "Crown Prince Lai Kuanlin is still the rightful heir. His only mistake is that boy," He points in Seonho's direction, "All he has to do to keep his position is to kill him."

Everyone's gazes turn back to Lai Kuanlin. "What will be your choice, your highness?"

At that moment, Yoo Seonho decides to sacrifice for his lover."He will kill me. The crown prince will still be the heir." Kuanlin's heart shattered at Seonho's words, and shook his head towards his lover in the crowd. 'Trust me,' he mouths back then. And Kuanlin had no choice but to obey his lover's request. He just had to live the rest of his life without a bride nor an heir, and pray they meet again someday in another life. He just has to wait a little longer than normal people did to fulfill his promises and start to really give all his love to Seonho.

It turns out, that things were a little bit more complicated than he thought. Because in the end—Lai Kuanlin's biggest sin was killing someone he loved.

It didn't take long for Yoo Seonho to get slightly irritated by the humming of a soft melody. The library was quiet, and it was around lunchtime when everyone else is out to eat, so everything should be dead quiet. Also, there was always only Seonho and the librarian around this time. The university's library is huge, with racks filled with books from every era of mankind—in different languages, and different genres. The library was built a little differently than older buildings since it only opened around two years ago in 2054. So the library had the kind of concept where in between every two racks, there would be a huge space left for chairs and tables. Everyone has to get a pass to actually have a seat to avoid fights or complications, and also for easier access to get the books you need.

For example, if you were going to do research on Chemistry, then you can only sit at the tables that were in that section. If there was no seats, then you'd have to leave. Which is why Seonho enjoys coming to the library while no one is here and either chooses to have his lunch a little earlier or maybe later in the evening. Usually, it's the latter because he mostly has morning classes. However, because of the annoying person who's been humming a classic song by an old band called Big Bang non-stop, Seonho can't really focus on his thesis. He gives up on his patience and stands up from his seat. The sound of his chair screeching the floor stopped the humming. But he was not satisfied. Seonho then quickly walks towards where he thinks is the direction of where the source of the hums was—the art section.

Seonho can't sit on any of the seats, but he at least had the freedom to browse. So he sauntered in the art section and found one guy around his age sat with his headphones on. Then, the humming starts again. It was another classic, which made Seonho wonder if hipsters still existed in 2056. If it did, then it comes in the form of this irritating-

"Irritatingly handsome man, you mean." Seonho mutters under his breath when the guy looked up with his head tilted. Glossy red lips, and dark eyes. A broad build, but not too broad and dimples as he pursed his lips. Suddenly, all the confidence in Seonho from just now drains as he continued to stare at the beautiful stranger. He had such strong yet soft features, it made Seonho wonder how the hell anyone could pull it off. He understood now why the world isn't perfect. Because all the perfection in the world was sucked in by this man. After a while, it became awkward to hold gazes so Seonho had no vhoive but to gather up his courage and stepped up to the stranger.

He walks over until he stood right in front of the guy. "Look, can you please tone it down a little? I can't concentrate at all because of your hums!" Seonho shrieks.

"Right, sure. I'm very sorry." The stranger says awkwardly in slightly accemted Korean, bowing his head to show politeness.

"Thank you." Seonho says with pride. But the other man could only smile a bit mischievously. It made Seonho question what that meant.

"But hey, would you like to have coffee with me?" The stranger asks with dimples on as he grins.

"W-what?" Seonho responds, flustered by the sudden request. This guy was totally out of his league, so there was no way that this could be true, right? "With me?"

"Of course, Yoo Seonho-ssi."

It was a surprise to Seonho. "How do you know my name?"

"We have the same class. I only take music for extra lessons." The man replies, "I'm Lai Kuanlin, by the way. So, how about that coffee?"

And that's how they met again in this life. This time, there was no royal complications and the throne to protect, nor there was an unknown ache in their hearts and sad memories or a punishment. This time, they were just humans with a normal background and a normal life, smiling at each other for what they think was the first time. This time, they can have stupid fights like normal lovers do but end up falling back together eventually.

This time, Yoo Seonho and Lai Kuanlin are just Seonho and Kuanlin—not Shanhao and Kuanlin or Woobin and Seon. They are just the way they were supposed to be.

To love and to be loved is something humans can't help but long for. They make mistakes at first, but eventually end up doing the right thing. Just like Seonho's and Kuanlin's story, they pay for their sins before meeting once more.

"Happy Valentine's day, baby." Kuanlin mumbles against Seonho's skin one morning when they woke up in each other's arms. He tightens his hand around the younger's waist, refusing to let go as if their love could disappear any time. Seonho tries to get himself out of his boyfriend's strong grip, but eventually gave up as he whines. "Can't we just stay like this forever, Seonho-ah?"

He rolls his eyes at Kuanlin's early mornings mushiness. "We have to get up either ways at some point. Shouldn't you take me out for Valentine's?"

"Do I have to?"Kuanlin asks, pressing a kiss on his boyfriend's temple, opening his eyes to stare at Seonho's sleepy face. He brought his thumb up and caressed the latter's cheeks, using his finger to touch Seonho's bottom lip before going in for a long, deep kiss. It tasted like strawberry lip balm and secrets. A small whine escaped from the younger as Kuanlin bit down on the crimson coloured lips.

He pulls away, and looks at his artwork. Seonho looked a bit worked up and his lips were swollen, cheeks rosy from embarrassment. Kuanlin just laughs at his cute baby, and brings his large hands to engulf them in a cuddle where Seonho's head just kinda squished into his chest. "I love you so much."

"I know. And I love you too."