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At a time when gods lived amongst men, there was a group of five deities who travelled ‘round the world, making mortals happy. Often, they would disguise themselves as humans and go from town to town. They ate whatever food the people there shared with them , and quietly gave their blessing in return. At night, while the rest of the world slept, they played games and shared jokes to pass the time.
In that way, they spent countless days in bliss, fully enjoying each other’s company.
***
The sun had almost disappeared below the horizon by the time Jonghyun woke up from his nap. A heavy midday meal coupled with all the playful, but exhausting, banter with his hyungs from the previous night had led to him sleeping the afternoon away. Letting out a contented sigh, he stretched , and slowly got up, only to feel something fall from his head.
He glanced down to see what it was, and he was surprised to see a crown woven out of alternating red, pink, and white roses. After picking it up, he looked around to see if whoever dropped it was still around. Maybe it was from one of the nymphs. He’ll probably have to ask Nayoung if she knew anyone missing a flower crown.
As he made his way to go back to the meeting place his hyungs designated, he noticed someone seated a couple of meters away from him , deftly twisting and linking flowers into a golden band.
He carefully approached the stranger, and after crouching down, he asked , “Is this yours?”
The stranger’s heart-shaped lips curved up into a smile as he turned to face Jonghyun. Even though the other person’s face was partly hidden by the hooded cloak he was wearing, Jonghyun couldn’t help but notice how striking his features were.
“No, it’s yours . I made it for you,” the stranger replied as he reached out to take the flower crown from Jonghyun’s hands, after which he stood up and carefully placed the crown on top of Jonghyun’s head.
“Not to be a creep, but I saw you sleeping under that tree when I went over here to relax, and I thought these flowers would suit you. And I was right! It looks great on you,” he then added as he removed his hood.
The unknown person had a wide smile lighting up his pale face, and kind, dark eyes that Jonghyun unconsciously found himself gazing into.
Jonghyun smiled shyly in return. He was quite overwhelmed that a complete stranger had woven a flower crown for him–an incredibly beautiful stranger, at that. His skin was almost too fair as though he hasn’t been under the sun for a decade ; and his cheeks were somewhat hollow, Jonghyun noted, but the man in front of him had an ethereal grace to him.
Jonghyun wasn’t the type to adorn himself with flowers, but he couldn’t bring himself to reject the gift. Not when the other man looked genuinely pleased with seeing Jonghyun wear the flower crown.
“Thank you,” Jonghyun said with a small bow of his head, careful not to displace the crown of roses.
“Oh, I probably should have introduced myself first, huh. You can call me Minki.” He reached out a hand, which Jonghyun promptly took and shook.
“My name’s Jonghyun, so well, I guess you could call me that.” Jonghyun couldn’t help but laugh at how awkward he was being. Meeting new people was hard enough for someone as introverted as him–introducing himself to someone as attractive as the man in front of him was daunting, to say the least.
“Jonghyun,” Minki carefully repeated the name. Jonghyun felt the tips of his ears turn warm at hearing the other man say his name so reverently, as if it were a prayer.
Minki turned to gaze at the sunset, then looked back at Jonghyun, a frown marring his face. “I really want to talk to you more, but I’ll probably have to go back, I shouldn’t leave all the work to Aron.”
“Maybe I can go with you? Even if it’s just for a short while,” Jonghyun found himself saying, surprising both Minki and himself. Fidgeting with the front of his robe, he then added , “If it’s okay with you, that is.”
Minki’s brows were still furrowed together. “Are you sure? My home isn’t exactly known as being the best place to be, but I promise it’s not as bad as people say.”
Jonghyun gave a small nod and a smile. His hyungs told him not to go with strangers, but he trusted Minki. Someone with an honest, clear gaze like Minki would surely not trick him, Jonghyun thought.
The ground in front of them split open, revealing a staircase leading to the depths of the Earth.
“If that’s the case, follow me!” Minki reached out his hand, and Jonghyun promptly took it.
***
A full moon illuminated the grove in which Sugeun, Hyeongdon, Sungkwang, and Hongki were resting. It was their group’s designated resting place for that week . W hile their laughter and shouting normally reverberated through the trees on evenings, that night , all that could be heard was the quiet bubbling of a nearby stream.
“What’s taking Jonghyun so long? He should’ve been back hours ago,” Sugeun uttered with a sigh as he leaned back into his chair. Beside him, Hyeongdon let out a yawn, after which he shrugged in response to Sugeun’s question.
“Did we tire him out too much lately? He’s the youngest one among us though, why is he so weak?” Hongki grumbled as he lay down on the soft grass.
“Maybe you scared him away,” Sungkwang commented, which was met by a glare from Hongki.
“He’ll be back tomorrow morning, probably. Let’s just sleep for now, it’s no fun without him,” Hyeongdon said as he entered one of the tents they set up. The rest followed suit soon after, seeing no point to playing more games without their beloved fifth member.
***
Step by step, Jonghyun and Minki descended a seemingly unending flight of stairs. Though torches lined the walls of the stairway, their path remained dark and cold.
However, Jonghyun didn’t mind the cold nor the dark, nor the distance they had to walk. Not when they were deeply engaged in conversation the whole time.
“Is it really okay for me to go with you to the Underworld? Won’t the Lord of this realm be angry at me for trespassing?” Jonghyun had asked a few moments after they crossed the entrance to the Underworld.
At this, Minki laughed. “Why would I be angry, when I was the one who invited you here in the first place?”
“You mean, you’re the Lord of the Underworld? Isn’t he called ‘ Ren ’ ?” Surprise was evident in Jonghyun’s voice.
“I don’t know how the mortals came up with that name, but yes, that’s what they call me,” Minki answered calmly, as he glanced at Jonghyun to see the latter’s reaction. He was surprised to see no hint of fear in Jonghyun’s eyes. Usually, mortals and gods alike cowered at the mere mention of his name.
Jonghyun continued to stare at Minki for a few more seconds, and Minki raised an eyebrow in turn.
“You know, you’re not like how they say you are,” Jonghyun said as he laughed. “You’re not horrible or anything like that at all.”
“Really now?” Minki murmured as a smile involuntarily crept on his face. “What if I’m just tricking you right now? What if I really am as bad as they say?”
Jonghyun shook his head in reply. “If you had any bad intentions, you wouldn’t have revealed your identity. Also” — Jonghyun let out a small smile and a shrug — “I just know that I can trust you.”
If Minki had a beating heart, it would have skipped a beat at that.
“Is it really okay for me to call you ‘ Minki ’ though?” Jonghyun asked as they continued their descent into the Underworld. “Shouldn’t I also call you ‘ Ren ’ ?”
“No!” Minki blurted out, “Call me ‘ Minki ’ . Everyone else can call me what they want, but you’re a friend, so call me by my name, alright?”
“Okay,” Jonghyun said with a nod and a chuckle that echoed through the passageway.
They shared stories as they continued to walk down the winding flight of steps. Jonghyun told Minki about how he was a mortal from a small seaside town, and how he was adopted by Hyeongdon, Hongki, Sungkwang, and Sugeun—the gods of harvest, music, laughter, and games. They had chanced upon him, an orphan boy struggling to survive, while he was collecting cockles by the seaside to trade at the market. His radiant smile, despite his hardship, had warmed all of their hearts.
Jonghyun recounted how he had spent his days thus far. He described his favorite dishes from the many, many meals he and his hyungs had shared together, and Minki listened intently, trying to imagine how these dishes looked, smelled, and tasted. Jonghyun went on to tell stories about the games they played at night to pass the time—how his hyungs would tease him for stumbling, but would also shower him with compliments when he does manage to shoot an arrow at the target or throw the discus properly. With a laugh, Jonghyun shared how these games would usually end with Sungkwang drenched in water from a nearby stream, for some reason or another.
Minki chuckled as well, but later let out a small sigh. “That sounds really nice—a lot nicer than having to judge souls and detain them all here. Sometimes I wish I were someone else, but someone has to do this job, and I wouldn’t wish this burden on them.”
“You’ve worked hard,” Jonghyun said as he gave Minki a light pat on the shoulder, which was met by a whispered ‘ thank you’ from Minki.
The rest of the way down, they walked in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. Minki never let go of Jonghyun’s hand, and the latter felt comforted by the warmth of Minki’s hands.
***
Minki was really glad he decided to go through with giving Jonghyun the flower crown.
He had stumbled upon Jonghyun’s sleeping figure when he had gone to his favorite flower field to destress, following a particularly long time at work. Some country had waged war with another, it seemed. Pointless loss of life, Minki had thought with dismay, when he saw the souls of thousands of young, able-bodied men and women flow into his realm.
His plan had been to simply lie down in the field of flowers for a short while–to soak in their sweet scents and to gaze at the sea of color in order to forget the darkness of reality–but seeing the handsome man lying beneath the shade of a tree had derailed that plan. A pretty crown of roses would suit him, Minki had thought.
And so , with that in mind, he picked the prettiest roses–those in full bloom–and linked them together. Then, careful not to disturb the other man’s slumber, he placed the crown on his head and smiled at his handiwork.
He had expected a wary glance , or if he was lucky, maybe a quick thank you.
Never had he imagined the blinding smile the other man had thrown his way, nor the offer to accompany him to the Underworld, of all places.
It turned out Jonghyun had a beautiful smile, and an equally (if not more so) beautiful heart.
Normally, the trip back to the Underworld was bleak: endless stairs, endless darkness, and silence that would drive a normal man insane. But with Jonghyun, each step was accompanied by an excited voice telling tale after tale, by laughter.
Normally, time seemed to crawl for him–an endless line of souls to judge and only Aron to keep him company during his breaks.
But with Jonghyun, time seemed to fly way too quickly.
A part of him was tempted, so tempted, to detain Jonghyun, keep him in the realm of the Underworld with him. But Jonghyun’s trusting gaze–eyes bright and twinkling even in the darkness of the underworld–stopped that train of thought.
***
At the end of the impossibly long staircase, a wide river awaited them. Unlike the rivers and streams Jonghyun had seen in the land of the living–which flowed freely with water crashing into the riverbanks–the River Styx was stagnant.
A heavy mist clouded his vision, but from where they stood, Jonghyun saw a boat and a figure rowing it steadily. It was most likely Charon, the ferryman of the dead, who he had heard of from stories shared by his hyungs and the mortals. However, Jonghyun felt no trace of fear. While those stories depicted Charon as heartless and uncaring and cold, the same was said of Ren—the same person who had laughed at all the five-character poems he had shared earlier, no matter how bad they were.
“Aron! Help us cross, won’t you?” Minki shouted out. At this, the boat changed direction, now heading towards them. It took a few minutes before the boat reached their side of the riverbank, and a hooded figure stepped out to stand beside them.
“Who’s this?” Aron asked as Minki reached over to remove his hood, revealing a handsome man with a mischievous grin on his face.
“A friend,” Minki replied curtly.
“A living friend?”
Minki raised an eyebrow, as he muttered , “And?”
Aron shrugged. “Nothing, it’s just that it’s the first time you’re bringing a friend home, so I’m kinda proud.”
As Minki grumbled about how annoying Aron was being, Jonghyun turned to Aron to ask , “Are you Charon?”
“I don’t know why everyone up there in the land of the living adds an extra “ch”, but my name’s Aron. Nice to meet you . T ake care of our cute Minki, won’t you?” Aron said with a wide grin, to which Jonghyun replied with a nod and a ‘yup!’. The two of them laughed when Minki rolled his eyes at Aron’s antics.
Aron helped Jonghyun and Minki board his boat, making sure they wouldn’t fall into the ominous waters of the River Styx. After hopping onboard, he took his paddle, and steadily rowed the boat towards the other side of the river.
“Aren’t you tired? Do you need any help?” Jonghyun asked after they’ve been on the boat for a while.
“It’s okay, this is nothing. I’m used to ferrying souls across the river the whole day, after all. Though I should really figure out a way to automate this,” Aron replied with a laugh.
“If it’s okay to ask, where are the souls? I don’t think I’ve seen any yet,” Jonghyun motioned around him as he asked.
“They’re all on another part of the Styx, this side’s reserved for me,” Minki answered with a shrug, as Jonghyun nodded in understanding.
The rest of the way, Aron and Jonghyun alternated in sharing cringe-worthy jokes—both of them laughing when Minki grumbled or rolled his eyes at them, and celebrating with whoops whenever Minki gave so much as a smile or a chuckle in response.
Once they’ve reached the other side of the river, Aron grabbed hold of a rope dangling from a pillar on the wooden platform. After carefully tying the boat to the dock, he stood up and made his way to the platform. He reached out a hand to Jonghyun, and helped the latter get off the boat.
After helping Minki get onto the platform as well, Aron whispered , “He’s a keeper, you gonna let him stay in here?” , followed by a light nudge at Minki’s side.
Minki narrowed his eyes at Aron’s comment. “He’s only visiting for a short while. Don’t get any strange ideas, Aron.”
After grabbing hold of Jonghyun’s hand, Minki yelled out , “Bye Aron!” even if the other man was just a few feet away from him. Jonghyun followed suit, saying , “See you Aron!” and waving his free hand enthusiastically.
“Have fun!” Aron said with a wink, as he waved back at them.
***
Shortly after they had gotten off the platform and stepped onto solid land, Jonghyun and Minki were greeted by a three-headed dog that towered over them. All three heads were menacing—mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth and eyes that seemed to view anyone in sight as prey. Jonghyun gulped as he saw the beast’s claws—each was about as large as a dagger, and a single swipe from this beast could probably slice him in half.
Jonghyun unwittingly let out a yelp as the beast made its way towards him and Minki, and his hold on Minki’s hand tightened.
Noticing Jonghyun’s distress, Minki shouted out , “Lucky, he’s a guest! Behave!” At this command, the beast started to shrink, and its three heads merged into one until it was the size and shape of a small, white kitten.
Jonghyun stared, dumbfounded at the transformation of the terrifying beast into something as cute as a kitten .
“She’s cute, right? This is my pet, Lucky. The other form is just meant to scare away intruders, but this is her true form,” Minki explained as he picked up Lucky.
At this, Jonghyun nodded, and tentatively reaching out a hand, he asked, “May I pet her?”
Minki grinned in reply and he gently placed Lucky in Jonghyun’s arms. Lucky purred contentedly as Jonghyun scratched her by the scruff of her neck. No trace of fear could be seen in Jonghyun’s face, Minki noted–fear was wholly replaced by affection he had for the cat in his arms.
“I take it you’re an animal lover as well?” Minki quipped, which was met by an enthusiastic nod from Jonghyun.
“Yeah! But I have a soft spot for cats, and Lucky here is really cute when she’s in this form,” he explained with a laugh.
“Let’s take her with us to my palace, it’s not too far from here,” Minki said as he motioned to a large building in the distance. With Lucky softly purring in his arms, Jonghyun followed Minki towards the direction of the palace.
***
They walked through a wide, empty field completely devoid of vegetation. Even from a distance, the palace had a menacing aura to it—the whole structure was jet-black, with sharply pointed spires and narrow, rectangular windows. As they drew closer to the palace, Jonghyun noticed that the windows were made of stained glass, with each pane depicting a different flower.
Once they were right in front of the palace, Minki made a parting motion with his hands, after which the heavy doors of the palace opened. Minki couldn’t help but put on a smug grin after hearing Jonghyun exclaim ‘whoa!’ at this simple act.
The interior of the palace is a stark opposite to its facade—the walls and ceiling were painted shades of pink, yellow, and orange, emulating dawn. The white pillars lining the walls were gilded with gold, and the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling were made of large, glimmering crystals.
Jonghyun stared at everything, bright-eyed, as Minki led him through the grand hall, past an equally grand staircase.
“Pretty nice, huh? I decorate everything myself!” Minki stated proudly.
“Yeah, everything’s really beautiful!” Jonghyun happily agreed as he put Lucky down on a nearby couch. The cat promptly stretched out on the lush velvet couch, purring softly.
“You really like flowers, don’t you?” Jonghyun said as he stared at a large painting of a bouquet of roses hanging on the wall.
“Yeah, which is why it sucks that they won’t grow here. I’ve tried so many times, but the moment I step into the underworld, the flowers wither immediately.” Minki was pouting, which Jonghyun found adorable.
“Well, later on , we can go back to the flower field in the land of the living,” Jonghyun said softly. At this, Minki smiled back.
***
It has been a week since Hyeongdon, Sugeun, Hongki, and Sungkwang had last seen Jonghyun, and their patience was wearing thin.
At first, they tried looking around for Jonghyun themselves.
They searched the nearby towns, knocking on every door and asking anyone who would answer if they’ve seen a man with kind eyes and a distinctive ‘ he he he ’ laugh recently. All that met them were confused stares and hushed apologies.
Next, they ventured into groves and glades to try asking some of the nymphs and fauns they usually interacted with. Everyone they encountered was shocked at how sad they all looked, their smiles and carefree laughter having been replaced by morose eyes and frowns.
“Have you seen Jonghyun recently?” Sungkwang asked Kyulkyung, after he chanced upon her picking flowers from a field.
She shook her head. “Nope, sorry. Last time I saw him was around a month ago, when he was with you guys. What’s going on?” Her brows furrowed together with worry, seeing that Sungkwang, the god of laughter himself, was frowning .
“We haven’t seen him in a week, and we don’t know where he is,” Sungkwang replied, voice quivering. To say he was worried was an understatement. Jonghyun would never make him or any of the other gods worry like this on purpose—something bad must have happened to Jonghyun. Perhaps a malevolent god or spirit or beast had preyed upon their dearest Jonghyun, perhaps–
“Are you okay?”
Kyulkyung’s words broke his train of thought before they took a darker turn. He gave a nod in response and quickly said goodbye to her, before he took off to try to find someone else to ask about Jonghyun’s whereabouts.
***
Hongki leaned against a tree trunk—his fatigue from walking around everywhere the past few days looking for Jonghyun was finally kicking in. After closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh, he sang. While his singing voice was normally strong and powerful, with soaring high notes that echoed through the trees of the forest, his singing now was hushed—voice quivering and cracking every so often.
Hearing his song, two nymphs named Xiyeon and Nayoung approached him.
“I heard Jonghyun- oppa is missing?” Xiyeon half-whispered as her eyes welled up with tears. Beside her, Nayoung rubbed her shoulder to comfort her.
Hongki gave a nod and a hoarse ‘yeah’ in response, devoid of energy to explain any further.
Trying her hardest to hide her own dismay at Jonghyun’s disappearance, Nayoung stated , “We’ll do our best to help search for Jonghyun,” before she led a sobbing Xiyeon away.
Hongki watched the two of them disappear into the woods , before slowly getting up. With a heavy sigh, he went off to look for Jonghyun once more.
***
Soon after, they also asked the other gods for help.
“Jonghyun wouldn’t make us worry like this, did anything happen to him? Where is he?” Sugeun asked Seokmin, the West Wind.
“Sorry! I also don’t know,” Seokmin replied, his usual smile replaced by a frown. “Maybe Soonyoung would know, since he sees everything while on his chariot.”
At Seokmin’s suggestion, Sugeun and the rest of the group approached Soonyoung, the Sun God, while the latter was taking a break.
“Hey Soonyoung, when and where was the last time you saw Jonghyun?” Hyeongdon asked, voice sharp from his built-up agitation.
“I’m not completely sure, but I think I saw him napping in a field sometime last week,” Soonyoung answered, eyebrows knitted together in concentration. “And there was someone else in the field with him, but I don’t know who that other person is.”
“Did that person seem like a god? A mortal?” Sungkwan prodded.
Soonyoung pursed his lips together as he tried to recall the details. “A god I think, but I can’t pinpoint who...someone I haven’t seen in a really long time.” Soonyoung paced around as he tried to jog his memory.
“Oh, I think I remember!” Soonyoung exclaimed, as everyone else turned to look at him expectantly. “I...I think Jonghyun was with Ren.” His voice had trembled as he said Ren’s name, only now realizing what he had actually been witness to.
“Ren, you mean...the Lord of the Underworld?” Hongki said as his hands slowly balled into fists. “If it’s him, we can’t do anything to get Jonghyun back! I hate this!” The anger Hongki had been holding back had exploded, and he glared at no one in particular. The rest of the gods were equally distressed, but they did a better job at hiding their frustration—letting out deep sighs and murmuring ‘ what do we do now ’ instead of stomping around the room like Hongki.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to remember this sooner ; or tell you guys ; or stop Jonghyun from going with him,” Soonyoung said as he bowed his head in apology. “I shouldn’t make excuses, but I was rushing that day, and I didn’t see anything out of place at the time—”
Sugeun cut off Soonyoung’s words by patting the younger god on the back. “It wasn’t your fault, don’t beat yourself up over it . ” Sugeun’s smile failed to reach his eyes. “Thank you for the information, we’d best be on our way back.”
And with that, the four gods made their way back to the realm of the mortals.
***
To say Jonghyun wasn’t attracted to Minki was an outright lie. Minki was easily the most beautiful being he had set his eyes on–a fact he had forgotten in the darkness of the Underworld, and a fact he was reminded of now as the chandelier illuminated the other man’s face. And Minki’s laughter was the prettiest sound he’d ever heard–clear and loud like the tolling of bells.
But beyond that, Minki was kind and just. As Minki told stories from his job–the tales of souls that resonated with him the most–Jonghyun could not help but notice the sadness in Minki’s eyes at having to cut lives short, and on the flip side, the pride in Minki’s voice at recounting a life well lived. Jonghyun could sense how hard Minki struggled to stay distant from the lives of mortals, to not meddle in their affairs, so that he can remain an objective and fair ruler of the dead.
Perhaps it was too rash, too quick, and too irrational to say he was in love. And he had never fallen in love before, so he had nothing to compare to the tugging at his heart.
Jonghyun knew time was ticking by, and that he should soon go back to his hyungs . But a few more minutes won’t be too bad, he’d think. And so he found himself staying, his farewell caught in his throat.
***
After a tour of the enormous palace, several games, and countless jokes and banter between them, Jonghyun and Minki sat on one of several luxurious couches scattered across the living room, with Lucky curled up between them. They took turns stroking the cat’s fur as they sat in comfortable silence, their fingers occasionally brushing against each other as they did so.
Now that they were in the comfort of Minki’s room instead of in the dark passageways of the Underworld, Jonghyun had grown more and more conscious of Minki’s presence. Every time their hands touched, Jonghyun felt a hitch in his breath and felt warmth spreading to his cheeks.
Minki was the first to break the silence. “You talked about your family–your hyungs –but do you have a special someone in the land of the living? A lover?”
This question caught Jonghyun off-guard, and he almost choked in surprise. “N-no! Why do you ask?”
“I was just curious.” Minki bit down on his lip. “I thought you would have one for sure.”
“Oh,” was Jonghyun’s response as he stared at Minki, wide-eyed.
“There are pretty nymphs in the land of the living, and you’re a handsome man,” Minki said with a shrug, as if that statement explained everything.
“The nymphs are more like little sisters to me . A nd while they are pretty, none are as beautiful as you,” Jonghyun tripped over his words. He fumbled with the front of his robe, as he willed his blush to go away.
“You shouldn’t say something like that so easily,” Minki murmured, “unless you really mean it.”
Jonghyun reached over to hold Minki’s hand in his. “I mean it. You’re the most attractive being I’ve ever seen,” he manages to spit out, his heartbeat deafeningly loud in his ears.
Neither of them knows who initiated it, but soon, their lips come together in a chaste kiss. Minki’s lips are soft and warm and sweet, Jonghyun thinks, as he runs his fingers through Minki’s hair and closes his eyes.
Without the sun or moon to illuminate the sky, neither Jonghyun nor Minki noticed the passage of time. Hours blurred into days, and days blurred into weeks in the land of the Underworld.
***
A month had passed since Jonghyun was last seen in the land of the living–a month of no songs, no smiles and laughter, and no crops, since Hyeongdon, Sugeun, Hongki, and Sungkwang were too desolate after losing Jonghyun to give their blessing to the mortals. Noticing the mortals’ despair, BoA, the Ruler of the Heavens, summoned the four gods to report back to her.
“What’s going on?” she asked gently, also surprised at seeing how unhappy the four gods were. They were known to be a rowdy, merry bunch–to say sadness was uncharacteristic of them was an understatement.
“Jonghyun’s missing!” Hongki lamented, “All we know is that he’s in the underworld.”
“Why would he be there? He’s immortal too, right? I myself gave him some ambrosia…” Bo A stared at them quizzically, waiting for them to explain further.
“That’s really all we know. We heard from Seokmin that the Lord of the Underworld took Jonghyun back to his realm with him,” Sugeun responded with a defeated sigh.
“Ren did?” Boa’s eyes widened with surprise. “That’s odd. I’ll ask Seungkwan to ask for Jonghyun back on my behalf so please cheer up a bit, okay?”
Sungkwang tried to force a smile back on his face while the other three opted to bow solemnly to their queen, as they thanked her for her help.
***
As the Messenger of the gods, it wasn’t his first time in the Underworld, but this time around Seungkwan couldn’t help but feel anxious about the task he had on hand. Asking Ren, the Lord of the Underworld, to release someone back to the land of the living was daunting, to say the least, but defying BoA’s order was downright impossible.
Seungkwan ran as fast as he could down the long , winding steps leading to the Underworld. He said a quick ‘thank you’ to Aron after the ferryman had taken him to the other side of the River Styx, after which he brisk-walked towards Ren’s palace. After entering the palace through a smaller door by the side of the building, Seungkwan made his way to the throne room.
An empty throne was what awaited him. Seungkwan tried calling out for Ren a few times, but after hearing no response, he resolved to look for the Lord of the Underworld instead of waiting in the throne room. He walked through the enormous palace, and checked room after room for any trace of Ren.
After walking through innumerable halls of the palace, he heard laughter. Heading towards the direction from which that sound was coming from, Seungkwan ended up standing in front of a door that looked different from the rest. It was Ren’s private quarters, Seungkwan figured.
After gathering courage, Seungkwan opened the door as quietly as he could. What greeted him was the sight of two figures with limbs intertwined, faces inches away from each other.
In his surprise, Seungkwan failed to close the door quietly. The loud slam alerted the two men to Seungkwan’s presence. In a split second, the two were apart from each other and seated on opposite sides of the couch–both blushing furiously.
“I-I’m really sorry for interrupting,” Seungkwan squeaked, “but I’m here on BoA’s order to take Jonghyun back to the land of the living.”
“BoA’s order? How long have I been gone?” Jonghyun asked in a panic.
“Around a month, and your hyungs have been unable to give their blessing to the mortals while you were gone,” Seungkwan said in reply. “The mortals are in distress, since their crops haven’t been growing. We haven’t heard any of them laugh or sing in a while.”
“A month?” Jonghyun and Minki both repeated in shock.
“They must’ve been so worried...I can’t believe so many people had to suffer because of me.” Tears had begun to well up in Jonghyun’s eyes.
“It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I’m sorry,” Minki whispered. “You should go.”
Jonghyun shook his head “No, it’s my fault.” He then turned to face Seungkwan. “I’ll go back with you really soon, but can I just have a moment to say something to Minki?” Jonghyun said as he wiped away his tears. Beside him, Minki was rubbing his shoulders to comfort him.
Taking that as his cue, Seungkwan left the room.
“I love my hyungs a lot–they’re my family, and it’s really fun travelling everywhere with them–but being with you feels like I’m finally home,” Jonghyun said, his voice a low whisper and his gaze piercing right through Minki.
“Then come back. I’ll wait for you,” was Minki’s reply, as he held Jonghyun’s hands in his.
***
The rays of the midday sun greeted Seungkwan and Jonghyun as they stepped out from the entrance of the Underworld. With h is eyes having become accustomed to darkness, it took a while for Jonghyun to get used to the brightness of day again. Shielding his eyes from the sun with one hand, he used his other hand to cling onto Seungkwan’s arm as they made their way back to the grove where his hyungs were waiting.
The four gods cried in relief the moment they saw Jonghyun. All the frustration, sadness, and agitation they felt for the past month seemed to melt away the moment they saw Jonghyun standing in their midst once again. They all tackled Jonghyun to the ground with a hug.
Seungkwan smiled upon seeing their reunion. He then slipped away unnoticed to report to BoA about Jonghyun’s return.
“I’m so sorry for making you all worry so much,” Jonghyun said, teary-eyed. Guilt gnawed at him, and he couldn’t help but blame himself for causing so much despair and trouble.
“It’s okay, that doesn’t matter anymore!”
“Are you okay?”
“Were you hurt in any way?”
His hyungs bombarded him with questions as they wiped Jonghyun’s tears away. Sungkwang checked Jonghyun’s limbs for any signs of injury , while Hongki fixed Jonghyun’s hair that had become dishevelled from the long trip back from the Underworld.
“I’m alright!” Jonghyun assured his hyungs . “There’s something I need to say though. I promised Minki–Ren that I’ll go back.” Jonghyun fidgeted with his hands as he waited for his hyungs’ reactions.
“Why?” Hyeongdon asked, the cheer on his face replaced by agitation. Beside him, Hongki had an equally agitated expression on his face–with his eyes narrowed and his mouth forming a thin line.
“For how long? Don’t tell us you’ll be stuck there forever.” Sugeun’s voice was tinged with worry. Jonghyun was practically his son–to be separated from him forever was unacceptable.
“For maybe...half a year? I want to spend half a year there and the other half here with all of you,” Jonghyun answered after a short pause. It was a decision he had come up with on the spot–he couldn’t bear to part with his hyungs , but he also wanted to see Minki.
“But why?” Hyeongdon asked again.
Jonghyun closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before saying, “I...I love him.”
The four gods stared at him quizzically.
“He’s not like how the stories say he is at all! He’s beautiful and kind, and it would be nice if you could meet so you can see for yourself,” Jonghyun continued.
Jonghyun then recounted everything–how they had met, how Minki had listened to all his stories with a kind smile, how Minki’s laughter made his heart turn cartwheels.
Hongki breaks the long, nerve-wracking silence that follows by saying, “We support whatever makes you happy.”
“We’re gonna make the most of the 6 months we have with you, so from now on, we’ll start playing games earlier,” Sungkwang joked as he made the motion for a water slap.
“Make sure to introduce us to this lover of yours, alright, Jonghyun?” Sugeun said with a lighthearted laugh.
That night, laughter was once again heard in their grove as the five of them joked and played around. Occasionally, the four gods would tease Jonghyun about his lover, and Jonghyun would blush in response, earning more laughter and cheer from his hyungs .
***
“You better come back after 6 months, or we’re dragging you out of there by the ear, you hear me , Jonghyun?” Sugeun said. Beside him, the other gods laughed even as they tried to hold back their tears.
They were going to miss Jonghyun a lot .
Jonghyun laughed and gave an affirmative ‘yup!’ as gave each of his hyungs a hug. After waving goodbye to his hyungs , Jonghyun went on his way to go back to the field where he and Minki first met.
Jonghyun sprints upon seeing Minki sitting down in the middle of the field, patiently waiting for him. After reaching out a hand to help Minki stand up, Jonghyun simply says, “I’m back.”
Minki’s reply is a kiss–no words needed to be said.
Hand in hand, they walked back to the Underworld with bright smiles.