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There’s a lot of misunderstandings about the Grim Reaper. He’s not the deliverer of death, or even Death itself. And there isn’t just one The Grim Reaper either, there’s actually several of them at a time. Park Sunghoon’s job is just to guide the recently deceased souls to the afterlife; nothing more, nothing less. If anything, people should be thankful for the Reapers instead of fearing them. All the Reapers do is to ensure that no souls get lost on their way out.
There’s actually quite an efficient system in the Underworld. There’s one Big Boss, call him whatever you want. Some call him Hades, some call him Pluto, some just call him Death. He doesn’t mind whatever he is called, as long as no one calls him the Devil, who is a completely different entity.
Sunghoon prefers to just call him Big Boss. He isn’t very scary despite what most people think, taking the shape of a tall, well-proportioned man with strikingly handsome features. He often showers the Reapers with flying kisses and winks if they do a particularly good job, and enjoys sending them random work emails riddled with terrible jokes and signed with different titles. His current title of preference is “Worldwide Handsome”.
Park Sunghoon is one of the several Grim Reapers that work for Big Boss. He gets his assignments through a notification on his work phone, then goes to Earth to locate their soul. He helps them take care of any final last minute tasks to the best of his abilities within a day, in guidance with a strict set of laws from the underworld. Then, he guides them to the path to the afterlife, ensuring they safely make the journey between death and the afterlife.
Most of the Reapers are there working instead of passing over to the afterlife for different reasons. His friend Sunoo is here because he wants to do as much good as possible with his unfortunately short-lived life, and is one of the few sweet souls who are volunteering their time to comfort and guide the deceased. His coworker Minsung is here because he has a debt to pay from a turbulent life, and will be able to pass after filling a certain quota. Yet another coworker, Hyejin, is waiting to meet her brother and cross with him.
Park Sunghoon doesn’t really know why he’s still here. His Reaper, a pale, short man with bleached blond hair and a bored, rather feline-looking face, had appeared to collect him rather abruptly.
“Hey, kid. You probably figured, but unfortunately, you’re dead. My sincerest condolences.”
“Sorry?”
“Yeah. That’s you over there. Luckily for you, I’m here to guide you to the afterlife.”
“I— what kind of guide is this?”
“Hey, my services are in great demand. You are in the best hands that you could ever be in right now.”
“...What’s your name?” Sunghoon asks suspiciously.
“You don’t need to know that.”
“You want me to follow a guy I just met, who won’t even tell me their name?”
“Just call me Min-hyung. Now, are there any last things you want to take care of before you go? There’s some limits: you can’t appear in front of anyone living. You can’t actually touch anything since you can’t interact with the physical world anymore, I will be doing it for you as long as it is within reason and allowed by the law of the Dead.”
“I…” Sunghoon begins, but he’s interrupted by his phone buzzing. “You guys have phones?”
“We’re ages ahead of the human world, our phones are leagues better than yours,” Min-hyung replies, scanning his phone with bored eyes. His sharp eyes open wide after reading the message, however. “Actually, Park Sunghoon, looks like you’re rather special. You’ll be going straight to see the Big Boss.”
And before he can protest, Min-hyung slides his phone back into his pocket and snaps his fingers. Sunghoon nearly topples over as they apparate into a clean, large business-like room.
“Give a guy a warning, jeez,” Sunghoon grumbles, but the shorter man ignores him.
“Hey, Boss. I brought him over.”
The man in front of him smiles widely, putting down his chopsticks. “Hello, Park Sunghoon. I don’t have a lot of time to spare you, as I must get back to this phenomenal meal, but you have been chosen to become a Reaper. You may be dismissed.”
“...What?” Sunghoon asks, extremely perturbed by the neck-breakingly rapid turn of events. Just five minutes ago he was looking down in shock at his own lifeless body, and now he was in the presence of two potential psychos who were making almost no sense at all. He doesn’t even have time to mourn his own death, too wrapped up in this bizarre situation.
The man sighs. “Just go to orientation, everything will make more sense there. Goodbye, and welcome to the Underworld!” He calls, simultaneously waving him out of the room while winking.
“What the…”
That’s how Sunghoon became a Reaper, without a choice. His first meeting with Big Boss Kim was strange, but now he’s as comfortable with him as Min hyung was. He wheedles and whines to Big Boss, asking him how long he has to do this for and why, but every time he does this Big Boss only conjures up a plate of impossibly delicious food and stuffs Sunghoon’s mouth with it to shut him up.
Sunghoon racks his brain to recall if he’s ever done anything to warrant paying off a debt during his eighteen years of life, but he can’t think of anything. And sometimes he gets frustrated, wondering how long he has to do this and for what reason. It’s not bad being a Grim Reaper, and the benefits are rather fantastic, but it’s frustrating to have to do something without knowing why. He just knows that one day, he will get an assignment with the word “FINAL” in brackets instead of an assignment number, and after he completes it he will be able to move to his final resting place.
‘The next one will be my last’, he thinks with every new assignment. But he’s been doing this for two years now and he’s racked up quite a number of completed assignments, with no sign of being done any time soon.
Until one day, he gets the assignment he’s looking for. He’s at the company cafeteria (which is undeniably the best thing about his job) next to Sunoo, mixing a plate of curry and rice, when his phone buzzes with the telltale vibration pattern of an incoming assignment.
“Seriously, I was just about to eat,” he grumbles, pulling his phone out of his pocket. But his annoyance dissolves immediately and his pulse quickens as he reads the subject line of the notification.
“SUBJECT: [FINAL] ASSIGNMENT”
“Shit, no way,” Sunghoon mumbles, fingers shaking.
“What’s up?” Sunoo asks, looking up from his meal of tteokbokki.
“I just got my final assignment,” Sunghoon breathes, setting down his spoon.
“Hyung, congratulations!” Sunoo cheers, leaning over to see his screen. “Who is it?”
But as Sunghoon opens the message, he feels his heart drop to the ground and shatter to pieces. His excitement and happiness at getting his final assignment, his ticket to the afterlife, dissolves into thin air. He can’t breathe, body shaking as he reads and rereads the one name he never wanted to see.
“MESSAGE: Hello Mr. Park Sunghoon, your [FINAL] assignment is: Sim Jaeyun, Male, Age 20.”
Jaeyun. If this is the boy he knows, he’s a sweet, lovely boy who filled up every part of Sunghoon’s short-lived life. A boy who made his heart skip a beat every time he smiled at him, a boy who sent shivers down his back whenever their hands brushed against each other’s, a boy he used to look at fondly when he fell asleep at his desk. The boy Sunghoon called his best friend, but secretly considered to be that and much more. Sunghoon is taken back to his high school days, of warm spring days and shy laughter. He’s taken back to sleepless nights and held breaths and “I love you”s kept inside his head.
Jaeyun was, undoubtedly, his first and only love. They were more than best friends, but too young to be lovers. Maybe they could’ve been lovers, if they had grown a bit more, side by side. If Sunghoon hadn’t left too early. But now, they were in the same place again, in death.
‘Jaeyun, why are you here already?’
“Hyung?” Sunoo’s voice brings him back.
“Huh?”
“What’s wrong?” Sunoo asks, studying his stricken face. “Do you… know him?”
Just then, his phone buzzes again.
“SUBJECT: BODY FOUND”
“MESSAGE: Hello Mr. Park Sunghoon, your assignment’s body has been discovered. Please head over quickly to comfort the deceased.”
“Jaeyun,” Sunghoon can only mumble, as Sunoo watches in confusion and concern. “That’s a common name, right?”
Sunoo pauses, pursing his lips. “He has an unusual last name, though,” he points out. He’s right. If this Sim Jaeyun is, or was, 20, he was born in the same year as Sunghoon. He can’t imagine there’s a lot of Sim Jaeyuns also born in that year.
Sunoo tuts sympathetically. “Poor boy, he died so young,” he says mournfully, as if he didn’t die younger. “At least he was found quickly. Are you gonna be okay, hyung?”
Sunghoon nods absently. “Yeah.”
But all he can think about is Jaeyun. If this was his Jaeyun, this is the person he’s been yearning to see for years, but not like this. They weren’t supposed to meet after death, with Sunghoon collecting his soul. He never got to say goodbye to Jaeyun when they were first torn from each other’s sides, but now he’s forced to see Jaeyun’s final moments. He closes his eyes, wondering why fate has to be so cruel.
He takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m gonna get going.”
“Good luck, hyung!”
He checks the location given on his phone. He’s afraid to learn more about his newest assignment’s death. What if it was a painful death? What if he— Sunghoon shakes his head, clearing his anxious thoughts from his head. There’s no point in getting ahead of himself, he would figure out soon enough.
As he approaches his destination, he recognizes it as a rather busy intersection near a top ranking college in Seoul. He briefly wonders if Jaeyun is, or was, a student there.
As he nears the campus, he stops as he sees a large crowd and hears sobs and murmurs. He sighs as he hears sirens in the distance approaching. It appears that someone has already called an ambulance. Cars are backed up behind them on the intersection, and Sunghoon gently pushes past the crowd. There’s a young child sobbing on the ground, a few college-aged students comforting the child while shielding him from the unsightly scene.
“It was a drunk driver,” he hears someone whisper.
“He’s a kid from the engineering department, isn’t he?”
“The car would’ve hit that child if it wasn’t for him.”
Most of the people who feel Sunghoon’s solid body against theirs are too horrified and shocked at the accident to register it, and the few who are conscious enough turn around only to see no one there. Sunghoon walks over to the soul standing forlornly next to the mangled body on the ground. Blood from the body, rapidly losing its warmth in the cold air, pools slowly around the soul’s white shoes, but his shoes stay pristine. The ambulance and police arrive moments later, and immediately begin dispersing the crowd while setting up police tape around the perimeter. A paramedic pronounces him dead, covering the body with a white cloth that quickly gets soaked with red.
“Sim Jaeyun,” Sunghoon says quietly. The boy looks up, eyes brimming with tears then widening with recognition.
“Sunghoon,” the boy breathes, and Sunghoon feels as if his heart is going to burst out of his chest. A tear slips from Jaeyun’s widened eyes, and Sunghoon instinctively raises his arm to wipe it away. His thumb passes through Jaeyun’s cheek, however, and his arm falls back to his side.
It’s really him. His Jaeyun.
Sunghoon takes in the sight of the boy standing in front of him, drinking him in like a man dying of thirst. Or more specifically, he fills his mind with the soul of the boy standing in front of him, as his body lays on the cold asphalt. It’s been a few years since he’s last seen him, and he looks just as beautiful as he remembers. The same pretty lips with corners that turn upwards, the same straight, sloping nose, the same warm brown eyes that now shine with tears. Even after death, Jaeyun still has the same heartstopping effect on him.
The paramedics lift his body onto a gurney and the two souls watch as Jaeyun’s pale hand falls limply out of the cloth. As the gurney stops by the ambulance, Sunghoon reaches out and squeezes his lifeless hand one last time, shuddering at how cold it is. A paramedic tucks his arm back up into the cloth, and they lift his body up into the ambulance.
Sunghoon clears his throat, turning back to Jaeyun’s soul as the ambulance drives away. “It’s been a while,” he says, and curses his own stupidity for saying such a thing. But the other boy only nods.
“I missed you,” Jaeyun whispers, and his words tug at Sunghoon’s heartstrings painfully.
He has so much he wants to say, but he can only say, “I missed you, too,” he clears his throat again to get rid of the ache. “What… happened?”
Jaeyun looks at the large bloodstain on the ground, now marked by a police cone. “I was crossing the street,” he begins, “when a drunk driver sped through the intersection. They were going to hit a little kid, so I ran out in front of him without thinking,” he says quietly. “I don’t regret it, since the boy survived.”
Sunghoon wants to cry, something he hasn’t done in years. Even in his last moments, Jaeyun was as sweet as ever. He didn’t deserve such an unfair, painful, horrible death. There’s no hatred towards the driver or regret at his actions in his voice, only a tinge of sadness at his own untimely death. Sunghoon clears his throat for the third time, not trusting himself to keep himself from crying if he speaks.
Just then, pounding footsteps run towards them, and the two souls turn to see a boy with blond hair and a boy with red-brown hair sprinting towards the intersection. They stop at the police line, chests heaving from their run over.
“Oh, no,” Jaeyun whispers sadly as he recognizes the pair.
“Jaeyun!” the blond boy yells frantically, eyes landing on a police officer. “Officer, please, my friend. We heard he was in an accident, where is he? His name’s Sim Jaeyun, he’s our age.”
The officer sighs, taking off her gloves. “What are your names?” she asks kindly.
“Park Jongsung and Lee Heeseung, ma’am.”
“Well, Jongsung and Heeseung, your friend was indeed in an accident,” she says slowly.
“Where is he?”
“He’s okay, right? Which hospital is he at? Ma’am, please, tell us he’s alright.” the red haired boy, Heeseung, begs, and Jaeyun sniffles as he watches his friends.
“Boys,” she says gently, “your friend. He didn’t make it.”
“No, that can’t be. That’s not right, he’s not…” Jongsung collapses to the ground, sobs wracking through his body. Heeseung continues to shake his head.
“This is a bad dream,” he says, turning to the blond boy on the floor. “This isn’t real, Jongsung. This is… this is,” he can’t finish as he sees the sympathetic looks around them, sinking slowly down next to his friend in disbelief.
Jaeyun turns to Sunghoon. “They can’t see or hear me, can they,” he asks, but he already knows the answer.
“Sorry.”
Jaeyun sighs. “It’s not your fault,” he turns away from his sobbing friends. “Let’s go, it hurts too much to see them.”
Sunghoon nods wordlessly. He wants to reach for his hand, but he knows they can’t touch. “Follow me,” he says instead.
He knows he’s supposed to take care of his assignments’ final wishes as quickly as he can within a day while remaining respectful, so he can move on to the next one. But he can hold on to Jaeyun until dawn breaks, and he wants to hold on to him for as long as he can.
Jaeyun smiles at him. They’ve been walking for a while in silence, trying to organize their racing minds. And before either of them realized, they were standing in front of the cherry blossom trees fully in bloom by their old high school’s gate. “Nice suit,” he says, “I thought I’d only see you in our school uniform.”
Sunghoon laughs, a bit embarrassed. “It’s the standard uniform for Reapers.”
“You look good. You’ve always looked good in anything.”
Sunghoon feels his ears burn hot. “Not as good as you did,” he says truthfully, and Jaeyun giggles. The sound reminds him of hot summer days, a popsicle in each of their hands as they sat side by side on the playground swings not far from the gate they’re at currently. His heart aches for the days gone by, now only fleeting memories. But as he looks at his first love, he thinks that maybe this isn’t so bad, if it meant that he could see him again.
“You called yourself a Reaper. Are you here to take my soul, then?” the smaller boy asks curiously.
He shrugs. “In a way, yeah. It’s a legit job and everything in the underworld. I get assigned to souls and I help them take care of a few last things, then I drop them off to the gate to the afterlife.”
“Wow. What are the odds that you got me?”
“Pretty low, there’s a lot of us Reapers.”
“Maybe we’re just soulmates,” Jaeyun says, eyes sparkling under the streetlamps.
“Maybe we are.”
The two look softly into each other’s eyes, a pair of hard black irises meeting a pair of soft brown ones. And for once, they don’t think of the times that have passed them, or of the tragic circumstances they’ve met again in. Their minds are only filled with thoughts of the other, two hearts beating as one.
And Sunghoon hates to break the silence, but he has to before the sun rises. “Do you have any final tasks you want to get done?”
Jaeyun contemplates it. “Yes,” he says finally.
“Jaeyun, you won’t appear in front of the living.” Sunghoon says carefully as they stop in front of a large apartment building.
“I know. My parents and brother aren’t even home, they’re probably busy dealing with… the aftermath. I just want to see Layla one more time.”
“Oh.”
When the door opens, Layla barks, sniffing the air. She bounds over to the doorway, sensing Jaeyun’s presence but confused at being unable to see him. She tilts her head to the side in confusion, barking once more as the door closes on its own.
“Hey, girl!” Jaeyun says, kneeling by her side. She keeps sniffing the air near him, a whimper leaving her throat as she fails to find the source of the familiar scent. Jaeyun looks up at Sunghoon imploringly. “You can touch her, right?” When he nods, he looks back at Layla. “Can you pet her, scratch her behind the ears one more time?”
Sunghoon nods, kneeling down next to him to fulfill his wish. His solid but invisible hand makes contact with her soft, golden yellow fur, and Layla closes her eyes as she enjoys the head rub. She still looks rather confused at why she can’t see anyone, but she happily accepts the loving touch.
“She probably thinks it’s me petting her,” Jaeyun laughs, sounding a bit choked as he looks fondly at his beloved dog. “Good girl, Layla.” He whispers, and stands up to go look at her food and water bowl.
“Could you fill up the automatic food dispenser and the water dispenser?” He requests, and Sunghoon does as he says. “My parents should be coming home tomorrow, but just in case.” As he watches Sunghoon fill up the dispensers, Layla stands by Jaeyun’s heel, still trying in vain to find the boy. “And give her one of those treats, please, they’re her favorite.” Sunghoon kneels again to pet Layla on the head and feeds her a treat, the dog happily chewing it.
He pauses in front of the refrigerator, where diplomas and awards and family photos are stuck on with magnets. There’s a set of alphabet magnets used to spell out messages on the doors, and looking at them gives Jaeyun an idea. “Could you do me one last favor while we’re here?”
“Of course.”
“I… never really got to say bye to my family. Can you write them a little message with these?”
“Like what?”
“Nothing too obviously from the underworld,” Jaeyun laughs, “maybe something like… ‘I love you guys’? Is that too cheesy?”
Sunghoon shakes his head. “They’re good parting words.” He says, his long, white fingers rearranging the magnets to spell out Jaeyun’s last message.
He’s not gifted with the ability to see the future, but he can picture it. A few days after Jaeyun’s parents and brother return home with pieces of their heart permanently missing, they will notice the message on the fridge, asking each other if they’re the one that spelled it out. It’ll quickly be revealed that none of them are, and they fall into a sorrowful silence as they realize that it’s Jaeyun’s final words to them. The magnets will never be moved from their position on the fridge, even years after.
“Okay, let’s go.” Jaeyun says finally. Tears fill his eyes as he turns to leave, looking at his dog. “Goodbye, Layla. You were always such a good girl. Good girl, don’t miss me too much.” As if she understands that this is goodbye, she lets out a whimper, padding towards the doorway. As Sunghoon lets the door close behind him, the sounds of Layla’s high-pitched cries muffled but still audible, Jaeyun sniffles.
“I’ll miss her a lot,” he says.
“Your parents and brother will take good care of her,” Sunghoon reminds him softly, and Jaeyun nods, letting out a shaky breath.
“Any other wishes?” Sunghoon asks, and he has a feeling he knows.
“I… want to see my friends.” That’s exactly the response he expected.
“Let’s go,” Sunghoon says, and Jaeyun smiles shakily.
They stop at his school’s gates, Sunghoon purposefully taking Jaeyun around the back entrance to avoid passing by the place he drew his last breath. They walk to the dorms, stopping in front of a familiar door. The nameplate next to the door reads: “Lee Heeseung”. Sunghoon carefully unlocks the door, and the two enter. Their footsteps do not show up on the carpet as they pad in silently.
On Heeseung’s standard twin-sized bed, a bed too small for two grown boys to squeeze themselves into, sits Heeseung and Jongsung, leaning against each other and against the headboard. They’re deep in slumber with their eyes swollen and tear tracks on their cheeks, obviously having cried themselves to sleep. Jaeyun sighs sadly as he sees the pair.
“It’s exam season coming soon, what if they fail because of me?”
Sunghoon can’t help but smile at that. “That’s what you’re worried about?”
“I don’t want them to be sad. I wish I could make them stop being sad over me,” he turns to Sunghoon. “Could you pull the covers over them, to make them at least a little more comfortable?”
“Of course,” Sunghoon says quietly, gently pulling the blankets over the two sleeping boys with a feather-light touch. Jaeyun looks over the pair.
“Is there any way I can convey a message to them?”
Sunghoon hesitates. He doesn’t do this often, but for Jaeyun he can make any exception. “There’s one way. You can appear in their dreams.”
“For how long?”
“Around a minute each.”
Jaeyun thinks silently, gathering his thoughts. “Okay. I think I’m ready.”
“Which one first?”
“Heeseung hyung, since he’s older. I respect my elders.”
Sunghoon laughs. “Alright.”
Jaeyun closes his eyes, feeling a little like he’s leaving a voice recording for a missed call as he leaves his friends their final messages. After he finishes, he smiles and nods at Sunghoon.
“Bye, guys,” Jaeyun whispers as the two leave Heeseung’s dorm room, the door closing silently behind them.
A few minutes after the souls have left, Heeseung and Jongsung open their eyes at the same time, looking around the room frantically until they both look at each other.
“I just—”
“I had a—” They say at the same time, and a strange feeling passes over them both.
“Jaeyun?” Heeseung asks. Jongsung nods, eyes wide.
“What did you dream of?” Jongsung asks.
“Jaeyun came, it was like… he was sitting at my desk, right here. Talking to me. He said… he said he really cherished our friendship, and that he really looked up to me, and that he was sorry for going so soon… he told me to not cry anymore, since it’ll make him more sad,” Heeseung says, voice breaking at the end.
Jongsung’s eyes widened. “No way,” he breathes. “He said the same thing, but he said he could come to me for anything instead of saying that he looked up to me. Guess he was being honest, couldn’t look up to someone who’s the same age as him.” the pair laugh tearily as they remember how Jongsung and Jaeyun used to bicker over who was more mature.
“I miss him,” Heeseung whispers.
“Me too.” Jongsung whispers, swallowing the aching pain in his throat.
“Let’s stop crying, Jaeyun wouldn’t like it,” Heeseung says, sitting up straighter, “he’s not hurting anymore, so we shouldn’t either.”
“Okay, hyung,” Jongsung says, nodding. He takes a deep breath. “I think this is his way of telling us that he’s okay now.”
“Your friends must’ve gotten the message,” Sunghoon says quietly. Jaeyun nods.
“There’s one last thing,” he says softly.
“Anything for you.”
“I… always wanted to see the stars. But I never got to.”
Sunghoon pauses, surprised. “You never got to see the stars?” he asks curiously.
“I have, but… not with you.”
“Oh,” Sunghoon can feel his face heating up. “We can go now.” He’s rewarded by Jaeyun’s beaming smile as he leads him to the Han River park, finding a high point far from other city lights. The two settle down on the grass, Sunghoon resting his head on Jaeyun’s outstretched arm.
“Sunghoon.”
“Hm?”
“Did it hurt when you… died?”
Sunghoon turns to look at the smaller boy. He shakes his head. “No.”
Jaeyun sighs. “I’m glad.”
“Were you hurting?” Sunghoon asks. He means to ask if Jaeyun had been hurting in his final moments, as he was gasping out his final breaths. He winces as he imagines it, reaching out for Jaeyun’s hand for reassurance. He feels a dull pain in his chest as his hand passes through Jaeyun’s.
Jaeyun nods. “I thought I’d never feel anything as painful again in my life when I heard,” he says quietly. “I’d rather get smashed to pieces by a car again than to relive that. At least that pain ended when I died, but the pain of losing you… it never stopped.”
Sunghoon feels tears pricking his eyes at the confession. “I’m sorry,” he says. For hurting you. For leaving you. He hadn’t realized how he had affected Jaeyun so much.
“It wasn’t your fault, you didn’t ask to not wake up one day,” Jaeyun says, and Sunghoon wants nothing more than to feel his skin against his. He looks at the boy next to him, who has his head tilted upwards to the sky, his eyes closed and his lips moving in a silent prayer. Sunghoon also lifts his gaze to the night sky, full of twinkling stars of various sizes and intensities. He briefly makes a wish as well, closing his eyes.
‘I wish… that I could be with him again.’
When he opens his eyes again, he sees Jaeyun smiling at him softly. “Thank you for being here with me,” he says. Sunghoon can’t imagine being anywhere without the boy in front of him.
This was Jaeyun’s final wish, and soon Sunghoon can see the night sky turning lighter as the sun prepares to rise. He’s happy to be able to fulfill his three wishes, but his heart feels heavy. For the sun is rising, and this means that Jaeyun’s time with him in this limbo between life and death is over.
And then comes the words he didn’t want to hear. “I’m ready, Sunghoon-ah.”
“Well, here we are,” Sunghoon says, trying to sound cheery as he stops by the bridge to the afterlife. “I can’t go past the border, but you can. You just have to cross and—” he suddenly chokes, a lump in his throat. Because he’s been subconsciously denying it until now, but Jaeyun is really no longer alive.
Pretty, glowing, lively Jaeyun. He should’ve had a long, fruitful life filled with love and happiness. But instead, he was killed by an irresponsible fool, his life wasted forever. Sunghoon’s heart aches for it. He aches because he’s parting with Jaeyun yet again, even if it’s for a short time. He can’t bear the thought of his best friend slipping through his fingertips for another time.
Jaeyun seems to understand. “I’m glad you found me, Sunghoon-ah,” Jaeyun says, smiling brightly. But his eyes are shining with unfallen tears.
“I didn’t want to see you like this,” Sunghoon sobs despite his determined efforts to not cry, “you shouldn’t have come so early.”
“You big crybaby. What’s life without you, though?” Jaeyun asks, and Sunghoon feels a pang in his heart at the innocent confession. “I’m just glad, because now you know where to find me.”
“I’ll come right after,” Sunghoon promises, wanting more than ever to be able to hold him. But he knows his hand will pass through Jaeyun’s body, and Jaeyun smiles sadly.
“Take your time, I’ll wait for you there.”
Sunghoon nods, but he can’t stop the tears from flowing down his face. “Goodbye, Jaeyun.”
“This isn’t a goodbye, silly. Don’t cry. Soon, we’ll be together again,” Jaeyun raises a hand as if to wipe Sunghoon’s tears, but he only feels a ghostly cold touch. “See you on the other side, Sunghoon.”
With that, he steps over the border, shivering a little as he does. The first rays of the sun burst through the horizon at that exact moment, illuminating the side of Jaeyun’s face as he turns back, smiling and waving at Sunghoon. Sunghoon nods, smiling back the best he can. Jaeyun walks on, getting smaller and smaller as the fog envelops him in its embrace. Sunghoon wishes desperately to be that fog, to be able to wrap him in a tight hold. Jaeyun had told him to stop crying, but he can’t stop himself as they are separated once more. Sunghoon stands at the other side of the border, watching him until he’s no longer visible.
He realizes belatedly that he forgot to tell him that he loves him.
But it’s okay. He’ll see him again, very soon.
His phone buzzes.
“SUBJECT: ASSIGNMENT COMPLETE”
“MESSAGE: Hello Mr. Park Sunghoon, your [FINAL] assignment has successfully reached their final destination. Please visit the Lord of the Underworld at your convenience for further instructions on completing your role.”
Sunghoon sniffles, wiping his tears with his suit sleeve. He’d freak out about getting his work suit wet normally, but it’s not like he needs it anymore. He collects himself as he makes his way to see the Big Boss. But before that, he has a stop to make.
“Hyung!” Sunoo shouts excitedly, opening the door. “Welcome back! Did you hear? Hyejin-noona crossed!”
“She did?”
“Yeah, she was sorry she couldn’t see you, but she figured that you’d meet in the afterlife! She finally found her brother, he was all old.”
“That’s great.”
“And you’re crossing now too, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I came to say bye. You should head on over soon, too.”
Sunoo beams. “You know hyung, I think I just might do that. If you see me in the afterlife, you have to say hi to me, okay? And introduce me to Jaeyun-hyung!”
“Of course, Sunoo. I’m looking forward to it,” he says, ruffling Sunoo’s hair affectionately.
“Bye, hyung. See you soon!”
After saying his goodbyes to other Reapers he sees on the way to the Big Boss’s office, he bows his head slightly to the secretary, who presses a buzzer to let him in.
“Hey hey hey!” Big Boss shouts, popping a celebratory streamer as Sunghoon knocks on the door and walks in. “Congratulations on escaping the underworld! No need to say it, but I know you will miss me.”
Sunghoon snorts. “Sure, Big Boss.”
“Why do you always call me Big Boss? It’s so unaffectionate.”
Sunghoon shrugs. “It’s what Min-hyung called you, so I just picked up on it.”
Big Boss laughs. “Of course Yoongi would have you call him Min-hyung.”
“His name’s Yoongi?”
“Yup. Tell him hello when you run into him in the afterlife, would you? It’s already been quite a while since he’s gone.”
Sunghoon nods, grinning. “Will do.”
Big Boss peers at him. “Something tells me you want to get to the afterlife very quickly, and would not appreciate a final meal, graced by my presence.”
Sunghoon smiles sheepishly. “You got me.”
“It’s the Jaeyun boy, isn’t it?”
“Hm?”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to say it if you’re shy. Hyung knows everything,” he says, winking. “Ah, to be young and in love! Who says you need to be living to love?” he demands, sighing dreamily. “Well, don’t let me keep you much longer. When you’re ready, let me know and I’ll transport you right on over.”
“I don’t have to cross the bridge?”
“Psh. You’ve done so much work for me, it’s a special Reaper’s perk. Tell your boy that, I’m sure he’ll be impressed.”
“Thanks, Big Boss,” he clears his throat. “I think I’m ready.”
“It was a pleasure to work with you, Park Sunghoon. Perhaps we may meet again.” Big Boss shakes his hand.
And with that, Sunghoon closes his eyes.
He’s going back to Jaeyun.
“Sunghoon, wake up! Jeez, it’s not like you to sleep in so late. Even Heeseung hyung’s up,” Jake complains, shaking his shoulder.
Sunghoon opens his eyes to see the angelic boy standing by his bed, already dressed. Without a word, Sunghoon grabs his wrist and pulls him into his bed. Jake protests that they’re going to be late to practice, but he lets Sunghoon pull him in easily. He’s nestled comfortably in his arms, their bodies fitting perfectly against each other’s. Just the way it always has been.
“Do you believe in past lives?” he asks seriously, and Jake furrows his brows at the sudden question.
“What? Like reincarnation?” he asks, looking up at Sunghoon. Even when he just woke up he looks inhumanly flawless, Jake thinks while pushing down the urge to kiss him.
He’s been attracted to the black-haired boy for a long time, probably ever since they’ve first met. They just seemed to click from the very start, metaphorical sparks flying between them as they quickly grew comfortable by each other’s side, almost as if they’ve met before. Late night talks turn into late night feelings, and light, fleeting touches turn into Jake’s hand resting on top of Sunghoon’s slightly larger ones and Sunghoon’s hands lingering at Jake’s waist and shoulders. It’s to the point where the other trainees tactfully give them space at times, the pair in their own world, oblivious to the responses around them.
But they were in a strange place where feelings are pushed aside for the desperate need to debut, and after their hard-earned debut they were thrown into the ends of thousands of judging stares and cameras. He doesn’t really know what love is, but he thinks that if he’s ever going to be in love, it’ll be with Sunghoon. Not only is he devastatingly handsome, but he’s insanely talented, and has the warmest personality that makes Jake feel like he always has a home within the taller boy’s heart.
How can he want anyone else, when the very definition of perfection sits next to him?
“Yeah.” Sunghoon responds, breaking Jake out of his reverie.
“I dunno, I feel like scientifically… no? But I don’t know, anything’s possible, isn’t it?” Jake says, tilting his head to the side a little.
Sunghoon hums as he holds Jake’s head close to his chest. “I feel like we’ve met before.”
Jake laughs. “Like before our trainee days?” he asks incredulously.
“No, even before that. Like in our previous lives.”
Jake pauses as he considers that. “It does sometimes feel like I’ve known you forever,” he admits.
“Maybe we’re just soulmates.” Sunghoon says softly, leaning back to look at his face.
“Maybe we are.” Jake replies, and the pair blink at each other as a strange sense of deja vu washes over them. The unfamiliar familiarity isn’t unpleasant, however. Sunghoon laughs at how red Jake’s face is turning. “Now get up and get ready.”
“Only if you kiss me.”
“Sunghoon!” Jake protests with a laugh. But he does it anyway, eyes flickering down to Sunghoon’s lips for a second before he moves past Sunghoon’s awaiting lips, instead chastely pressing his plush lips against Sunghoon’s cheek. “There. Now seriously get up. If we’re late again, Ni-ki and Jungwon’s gonna scold us, and I don’t wanna get scolded by the two youngest again,” he says, rolling out of Sunghoon’s bed and extending his hand. Sunghoon takes his outstretched hand, letting the other boy pull him out of bed.
As he looks down at the other boy, still holding onto his hand, a surge of unidentifiable emotions runs through Sunghoon’s entire body. “I love you,” he says, the words spilling from his lips without thinking.
“I love you, too,” Jake says shyly. He hesitates for only a fraction of a second before he tiptoes and sweetly gives him another kiss, this time on Sunghoon’s lips. Embarrassed, Jaeyun turns around quickly, hands covering his mouth as he leaves.
And as Sunghoon watches Jake’s retreating figure wandering off to the living room with a hint of red dusted across his pretty cheekbones, he absentmindedly thinks that Jake will always own his beating heart. And he thinks to himself.
If such a thing as reincarnation exists, he wants to be with him in all of their lives.