Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

For thousands and thousands of years, several cultures have their own interpretations or representation of death. Despite there being several versions of it, a common personification would be a black-cloaked and hooded, scythe-wielding figure. The figure would come for every person, with an hourglass in hand, waiting for that last grain of sand to fall. And once that last grain falls, the figure will move to collect what he was there to claim in the first place.

A soul.

The Grim Reaper has been around for so long, and this belief about him has been passed down from generation to generation. From centuries long ago, till the present. The story of the ominous reaper who takes souls away has always been in existence.

Often being depicted as an evil being that actually preys on people in order to obtain their souls, the reaper has been a victim of those false accusations.

A very common misconception is that Reapers aren’t skeletal figures who wear hooded coats. Reapers can look like any other person, one could be sitting beside you on your train ride home, or behind one in line to pay for your groceries. Without knowing, Reapers have lived amongst us, blending into our environment.

But the biggest misconception of them all?

A Reaper is neither evil nor good, they are simply, a force of nature that may bring order to chaos. Death is a part of life, and it is the Reaper’s purpose to aid in claiming the souls of the departed to ensure the balance of nature. Yes, Reapers do take the souls of those who should pass, but that would not be their only role. In fact, some reapers also take on the role of guiding the soul that they claimed, helping them go through the process and ready themselves in order to be reborn into their new life, starting the cycle once more.

But not all Reapers get the privilege of doing so.

After simply taking the souls and bringing them to the afterlife-  being able to get the chance to guide a soul to their new life, that was something that only some Reapers are lucky enough to experience. In fact, sometimes Reapers would only be able to experience it just one time.

Which was why Youngeun was more than ecstatic as she held onto the file in her hands. She was just given her first-ever task to finally guide a soul to their new life, and she was free to do whatever she needed or wanted in order to do so.

Ever since she received news that she was going to be assigned with actually guiding a soul to their new life, that was all Youngeun could think about. It’s not that she didn’t like her current tasks as a reaper, but she got used to the monotony of it pretty fast.

Of course every soul was different. Countless of them would be souls in denial, not accepting the fact that they have passed. Most would laugh, thinking that it was some kind of joke being pulled on them; especially since when they would see Youngeun as their Reaper, they wouldn’t take it seriously- her being on the smaller side and all.

“Why are you holding onto that file for dear life?”

“Funny, we’re not alive.”

Youngeun watches as her fellow reaper simply shrugged, though May wasn’t wrong. After all, Youngeun was curious.

While Youngeun has had her fair share of souls who were in denial, who refused to pass over, and who made her job harder than it should be, there were some that genuinely surprised her.

From what she could still remember about her past- when she had passed, before actually being guided into her supposed new life, she was given a choice.

To be reborn, or to be a Reaper.

As far as she could remember, while she was still human- the thought of death never bothered her. Instead, for her, real life was more terrifying. For Youngeun, real life was just too unpredictable. How every day is unknown, how there’s no path nor directions to where one has to walk. Where a single choice made can completely cause a chain of occurrences that will constantly lead to another.

The weight of those thoughts wasn't the only thing evident in life either. You’re pushed to be a supposed better you. Society would expect you to live a life of conformity supposedly to receive full benefits in life- yet it induces fear into a person’s heart. Society would expect so much from you, and yet not give anything in return. 

And that’s why it was so easy for Youngeun to choose to be a Reaper instead.

But there were some rare moments, when some souls that had a somber aura around them, before they looked at Youngeun and flashed a smile of understanding, agreeing to go with her without question. Of course, she’d still be questioned- her whole appearance being far from what mortals apparently thought of Reapers. But they would simply brush it off, asking the Reaper just for a bit more time before finally following her to pass over.

And that’s why Youngeun really wanted this task.

As someone who never really liked real life, she was always amazed when the souls would tell her that they would be more than glad to be reborn so that they would have another chance at it. How they either lived a life but want to live a better one, or how they lived a great life altogether.

Youngeun wanted to know just what was it about life, that those souls liked so much?

The Reaper felt a soft nudge from her side, turning to face her friend with a soft hum. “What?”

“You know I support your budding curiosity with the mortals, but you do remember this is still a job right?” Only answering back to her much taller friend, May let out a sigh before folding her arms, leaning onto the table behind her.

“At the end of 49 days, you better have taken that soul and helped them reincarnate.”

“Or else I’ll end up with the embarrassment of another Reaper doing my job, I know.” A small sigh escaped from Youngeun as she finally placed her file on the desk, eyeing it still before crossing her arms. “And if I really mess it up I can get suspended.”

“Or worse.”

“Or worse…” A heavier sigh came out as she knew May meant well, they were friends after all. And really the only thing worse than being suspended is to just be a soul with no purpose. She’ll be stripped of her title as a Reaper, lose memories of what she has done, and she wouldn’t even be reborn. She’d just be a mindless soul, wandering around the afterlife.

“But hey, chin up. I’m sure you’ll do well.”  Youngeun slightly flinched as the taller girl beside her gave a quick pat on her back. “You always manage to collect the souls you had to, much faster than your deadline anyway. I’m sure an additional task of helping them reincarnate won’t be an issue for you.”

“I appreciate your pep talk May, really I do.”

A smile found its way to Youngeun’s face as she saw the grin forming on May’s. At first, she was excited about her new task- but when she realized that there were consequences for failure, there was a slight level of anxiety that rose up. So hearing the words of assurance from her long-time friend and fellow Reaper, she greatly appreciated it.

“So before Kotone asks, I want to be the first to know. What’s the soul’s name?”

Reaching for the file and flipping it open, Youngeun scanned the lines that were on the paper in front of her, reading the details about the soul. Her eyes then fell onto the picture on the upper left corner, the image showing a girl that she would have to get familiar with. Finally, humming as she looked to the side of the image, finally reading out the name.

“Kim Chaehyun.”

“So you’re telling me- the paper is due two weeks from now, and you already finished it?!”

“For literature class? Yes. But history? Far from. The only reason I finished the literature paper fast is so I could focus on the history report for the rest of the time.” The blonde sighed as she entered her room, throwing her keys towards thedrawer beside her front door before kicking it closed as she entered her room.

Setting her bag down on the ground, Chaehyun then plopped herself onto her chair and opened up her laptop. “Dayeon, I’d love to hear more about how you have this weird tension with your teammate in dance, but I have to get started on this report. So to cut it short, I’m pretty sure you have a crush on Hikaru. So I suggest, you suck up your pride and make a move, or suffer from more of that weird tension.”

Snickering as she could hear the constant complaints from her best friend, Chaehyun simply said her goodbyes before hanging up. Putting her phone on silent, as she was completely aware that Dayeon would bombard her messages right after; Chaehyun now pointed her attention to the laptop screen and the notes that she pulled out. Determination suddenly filling her up, she brought up her music player, started up her playlist, and immediately typed away at her laptop.

Kim Chaehyun was the type of student that was always driven to do more than her best. She was a student who had a strong drive to want to constantly better herself. She would strive to get the best grades she could, which she would eventually get. She would join extra-curriculars in order to be able to experience more of her college life.

Kim Chaehyun was the type of student that others looked up to and admired. 

Not only was she great with her studies and activities, but she was also well-liked for her personality.

Some students would approach her, asking for help with specific topics that they wouldn’t understand. And as much as she could, she would try to assist them, all with a bright and welcoming smile as she’d assist them.

In addition to all that, students admired her, even more, when they would see her beauty.

It was a beauty both inside and out.

She would have people fawn over her, but it never got to her head. Chaehyun would stay down-to-earth. She’d politely tell people she wasn’t interested when they’d try to show their advances towards her, she’d tell them that she just wasn’t looking for a relationship as she had different priorities.

To the majority, Kim Chaehyun was basically perfect- a paragon of many, if one would call her such.

Paragon of many, possibly all…

Except for History.

After writing down for around an hour or such, Chaehyun stretched her arms, groaning as she felt a slight headache starting now that she took a quick break from writing her paper. “I’m sure this paper is going to be the death of me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong actually.”

With wide eyes, Chaehyun turned to look around her room, surprised as she heard an intruder’s voice. Her eyes then fell on a leather jacket-wearing figure that was calmly looking out her window while sitting on her window sill. The intruder had an arm propped on her leg- the other leg dangling on the outside of the window while their back on the window frame.

“Who are you and how did you get in my room??” Chaehyun swore she left her door locked and there was no way that she could have climbed up the window considering that she was all the way up to the ninth floor.

She also had no idea who this girl was.

Granted she could only see the side profile of the intruder, them still looking out the window. But from what she could see, Chaehyun was sure she’s never seen her around campus.

“How rude of me.” Chaehyun then watched as the figure lazily turned to look at her, her eyes catching sight of fangs as the stranger smirked at her. “I’m Seo Youngeun.”

“And after 48 days, I’m taking your soul.”

To say that things weren’t going as to how she planned, was a big understatement for Youngeun.

Originally, she was supposed to show up, surprise the girl who owned the soul she was supposed to take and look cool doing so.

What she didn’t expect was that Chaehyun would throw a pillow at her right after she introduced herself, making her lose balance and fall off the window. Not that she was going to get severely injured, she could after all take several hits that a normal human could never.

At most, she’d brandish a bruise from her fall.

As entertaining as it was to see the look on Chaehyun’s face as she climbed back through her window after the fall,  Youngeun swore she could hear the hollering laughter from May all the way from wherever she was, her taller friend probably aware of the embarrassment that had just happened.

Which was why now, Youngeun found herself nursing an ice pack on her now bruised cheek while she sat on Kim Chaehyun’s bed. The other sat on her chair as she processed everything that Youngeun had explained.

“Let me get this straight.” Youngeun watched as the girl took in a deep breath, eyes wide as she was repeating the details that the Reaper had explained to her.

“So you-” Youngeun raised a brow as the college student pointed a finger at her direction, the other flinching at the action before drawing her hand back, clearing her throat, and continuing. “You’re a Reaper.”

Youngeun simply let out a soft hum of agreement, letting the confused college student continue on with her recounting.

“As in a supernatural being who is supposed to take souls after their death.” Offering a brief nod, she saw the look of a mix of disbelief and confusion flash on Chaehyun’s face, but strangely enough- only for a quick moment.

“After 48 days, you’re taking my soul. And on the 49th day, based on the judgment or review that you’re supposed to do throughout those 48 days, I’ll either be reborn or go through hell depending on how I lived my life.”

Another curt nod was all Youngeun gave. At the moment, she did not want to explain the possibility of becoming a Reaper just yet- maybe when the time comes, she’d let the girl know. But for now, with the amount of information she had given, Youngeun thought it was best to leave it for another day.

“And other than that, you’re also supposed to help me move on- help me leave the world without regrets so that my soul can pass over peacefully?”

By now, Youngeun was expecting the college student to go through the phase of denial. Calling her a bluff and possibly crazy for coming up with this elaborate story.

After all, most humans did so.

But again, things weren’t going as to how she planned.

She watched as Chaehyun took a deep breath, letting out a long sigh before sitting up and looking at Youngeun right in the eyes. “I guess I have to write this paper even faster then.”

“I just told you that in less than 2 months, I’m taking your soul…” Looking at the human in disbelief, Youngeun lowered the ice pack and shook her head, trying to wrap her mind around what she had just heard. “And the first thing you want to do is finish your History paper?”

“Just 'cause you’re taking my soul, doesn’t mean I can be lazy about my academics.” Youngeun noticed how the clacking sounds of the keyboard stopped as she watched Chaehyun quickly snap to look at her, the college student looking like she just had an epiphany. “You’ve lived long haven’t you? You can help me with my paper!”

“You’re asking a Reaper to help you write a college paper?”

Youngeun took note of the pout that formed on Chaehyun’s face as a response, the girl now leaning onto her chair as she looked at the Reaper with a contemplating look. “Oh, are you bad at writing papers? Never mind then.”

Youngeun had felt the frustration and confusion rise up. Yes, she was curious about how mortals would take the news of having to go. Yes, there were times when they accepted it without hesitation.

But she never thought she’d hear the human talk about finishing her academic requirement when she was supposed to leave before the deadline anyway? Nor did she expect to be backhandedly insulted by being told that she was bad at writing papers.

Standing up and walking towards the desk, Youngeun had now crossed her arms as she leaned onto the desk- the college student not paying attention to her as she focused on her paper instead. “Kim Chaehyun.”

There was a slight twitch to her brow as she saw how the student had waved her off, saying that she was trying to figure out how to construct the paper even more. Taking in a deep breath, Youngeun pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head as the words came out of her mouth. “I’ll have you know, I can write papers and reports well.”

The sentence itself caught Chaehyun’s attention, the girl now looking up at the reaper with expecting eyes and a playful grin. The regret settled in Youngeun’s core even more as she knew where this was going. “If I agree to help you with this, will you cooperate in the judgment?”

“Absolutely.”

Letting out a sigh, Youngeun waved the student off- ushering her to make space so she could see just what the girl had already written before pointing out other things that she could use for the content of her paper.

With Youngeun’s help, the paper went much faster than any of the things Chaehyun had normally worked on. And after a few hours, they soon finished. Youngeun looked with a brow raised again as the college student let out a loud sigh of relief, exclaiming that she was glad to get over the struggles of the semester. She then saw how Chaehyun had turned to face her, a smile on her face.

“You know, I was going to cooperate no matter what. I just wanted this over with so I could solely focus on being cooperative.”

There was a quick moment of silence before the Reaper looked at the still grinning girl in front of her before the supernatural being spoke up. “So you tricked me… into helping you cheat.”

“it’s not cheating! You were basically like, another source that I was able to use for reference!” There was a look of insult on Chaehyun’s face as the being accused her of such, Youngeun realizing that she was obviously offended. “I do wonder how I can cite a Reaper as a reference..”

“Fine, I apologize about saying you cheated. But you’re on your own with the citation.” Raising her hands in defeat, Youngeun plopped herself down onto the college student’s bed, wanting to go past this topic and get straight to work. “So can we do what I need to do now?”

Youngeun watched as the other girl was now humming happily on her seat, hitting the enter key excitedly before facing the reaper. “Now that I sent my professor the paper? Sure!”

“You know what? We can start tomorrow. Though I have to ask…” She looked at the girl in confusion, still not understanding how calm Chaehyun could be despite the situation- then again, this was what Youngeun wanted to ask about right? Leaning back on her arms, the Reaper looked a Chaehyun curiously.

“Why are you so calm about this?”

She watched as Chaehyun thought about it for a bit, moving to lean onto her desk while thinking about the question. “Death is a part of life, why be afraid of it?”

Curious, Youngeun looks at her- ushering the girl to continue with what she was saying. “Instead of fighting it, I’d just like to think that I lived a good life. And why not just make the most of the time I’ll have left? Besides, if I get a chance of being reborn into a good life after, then there’s no regret then.”

Youngeun then saw as Chaehyun looked back at her in surprise, as if she realized something. “Wait, how am I supposed to help you with your task anyway?”

“During the 48 days, I’ll basically be with you. You’ll talk to me about your memories and past, then see how the current events around you are. By the way, I will know if you lie- so best not to bother doing so.” She looks at the college student, seeing how the girl was taking in everything quite well before continuing on. “It’s not that complicated actually.”

“You know, minus the whole 48 days- that basically sounds like the whole getting-to-know-me stage in dating.” The Reaper then looked at the college girl with wide eyes, surprised at the statement. Chaehyun instead saw the reaction and let out a soft laugh. “Relax, I’m just joking.”

“So you’ll be on campus, and in-class with me?” Youngeun pondered over it for a bit before simply nodding. A part of her already knew that having to pretend to be a university student was going to be an annoying task. An annoying, but necessary task.

“Can I introduce you to my friends?”

“As long as you don’t tell them I’m a Reaper, and that I’m taking your soul.”

Youngeun then noticed the sudden silence from the girl, curious she turned towards her- seeing Chaehyun suddenly deep in thought. As far as she could remember, reading the file about Kim Chaehyun- she didn’t really have family around anymore; so there wouldn’t really be much for her to leave behind.

Then again, the Reaper remembered she was a college student.

A very social one.

She’d end up leaving her friends and acquaintances behind.

Youngeun then took in a sharp breath as she suddenly thought about her own past. When she left and decided to not be reborn- did she lose the chance of meeting those that mattered to her all over again?

“Did you hear me?”

Chaehyun’s voice snapped her out of her own thoughts, looking up and fell back on the bed as she did. The blonde had moved closer, face a bit too close for comfort for Youngeun- as the human wondered why the Reaper was distracted just a moment ago.

“I asked if while you’re doing your whole evaluation thing, am I free to do things I want to do before I pass.”

Finally regaining her composure, Youngeun made sure to distance herself from the girl, not really used to humans being so direct. “Yeah, you are. It can actually be a part of the whole process.”

“First thing then…” The Reaper then watched as Chaehyun extended her arm, offering a shake as she flashed her another smile. “I look forward to getting to know more about you too in the next 48 days then.”

Again, things weren’t really following Youngeun’s plan. But she understood Chaehyun’s point a bit- you only get to meet a Reaper once in a lifetime anyway (as far as she would remember at least).

So she shook her hand, eyes still on the bright smile that was plastered on the college student’s face. For someone who was just told that she was going to die in less than 2 months, she acted as if it was nothing.

Humans were strange.

Chapter Text

Ever since Youngeun had entered her life, Chaehyun had come to realize that the supernatural being was very interesting and she wanted to know more about her.

Throughout the first few days of living together, the college student noticed several things about Youngeun.

First, she noticed how the Reaper would fall asleep quite quickly.

After all the explanations and instructions, the Reaper ended up taking residence in her apartment, using the couch as her bed. At first, she had insisted that Youngeun could simply use the spare mattress she had and join her in her bedroom, but the Reaper had refused, stating that the couch was enough.

Just as the night was about to end, Chaehyun realized that she had not offered a blanket to her new roommate. With the spare blanket in hand, she walked back to her living room, only to be surprised to have seen Youngeun already sleeping on the couch, head lulling to the side as she slept in a sitting position.

Next, she noticed, that she was actually good at cooking.

The next morning, Chaehyun was greeted by the Reaper already up and making breakfast for both of them. Apparently, the surprise was very evident on her face, and the Reaper simply set the plate of pancakes down on the dining table, reminding her that she explained the night before- contrary to old superstitions of Reapers, they were beings that did in fact, need food and sleep.

And when the college student voiced out how the food tasted great, Youngeun simply brushed it off. Explaining that another Reaper she met, really enjoyed cooking. So when they were both free, that same Reaper would teach her to cook several different dishes.

Then she noticed, that Youngeun liked being very tidy and organized.

After the dishes were washed, she noticed how the Reaper would dry and arrange them in a neat manner- one she never did throughout her time living in her apartment. She noted how the kitchen and cupboards were now, neatly arranged. And even saw how the discs of music she had in the living room, were also arranged.

The Reaper apparently noticed her line of sight, both now looking at the stack of music. Youngeun simply shrugged and explained how she woke up early and saw them, and had the urge to fix them.

The next thing that Chaehyun noticed was that the Reaper spoke with very few words. It was as if, if the situation permitted so, she’d say as little as possible. She’d keep her words short, direct, and straight to the point.

Chaehyun had introduced Youngeun to her group of friends, explaining to them that the Reaper was a childhood friend visiting the area and that she would be around a lot. She saw how her friends pestered her and couldn’t help but chuckle as she saw how surprised Youngeun was with the sudden amount of attention on her. But with all the questions they would ask her, the Reaper would simply reply with short answers- trying her best to finish the conversation before moving back to Chaehyun’s side.

And as she wasn’t much of a talker, Chaehyun had noticed that she was a really good listener.

They had come to an agreement, of talking about most of her memories over dinner. Both realized that it would be a time wherein they were both in private- Chaehyun being free to talk about everything that had to be talked about while Youngeun was free to be herself and not pretend to be a human.

During those times, Chaehyun had taken note of the fact that Youngeun would always only briefly respond. There would only be soft hums or brief answers.

She’d turn to see Youngeun sit there, the Reaper leaning onto her palm as her eyes and attention, solely on Chaehyun as the college student spoke.

Which was how Chaehyun had noticed that Youngeun had really pretty eyes.

Chaehyun would find herself looking away if her eyes would lock onto the Reaper’s, reminding herself that Youngeun was in fact not human and that after a few weeks, she would be the one to help her pass on.

Overall, Chaehyun was more than surprised that it was actually convenient living with a Reaper, and despite being able to take note of the little things about the Reaper, she wanted to know more about her.

Today was one of the days that she didn’t have much for classes. With the Reaper walking alongside her, she and Chaehyun were walking toward the park- as she made plans to meet with her friends. She laughed as she heard Youngeun say that she was already prepared for it to be tiring- pointing out that her friends Hikaru and Hiyyih were very playful and liked doing pranks and jokes.

“If they weren’t human, you could mistake them for goblins.”

“Did you just call my friends goblins? Wait…” Raising a brow and turning to her companion, Chaehyun looked at her with an unsure expression. “Was that… Reaper humor?”

Not really getting a response, she watched as Youngeun simply shrugged then shoved her hands in her jacket pockets before jerking her head to the side. “I see your friends.”

Upon reaching the spot where her friends had decided to have a picnic, Chaehyun immediately sat down beside her best friend, quickly pulling the Reaper down and ignoring the soft groan she let out.

They all enjoyed the weather, the company, and the food. Chaehyun couldn’t help but smile as she saw how her friends still continued egging on Youngeun, the Reaper on the other hand looked left and right to try and answer all the questions that they were asking and trying to comprehend the different conversations that were happening.

“I wasn’t aware that staring at your childhood friend was a normal thing.”

Quickly snapping her head to face her best friend, the blonde was greeted with a teasing smile that was plastered on Dayeon’s face. Chaehyun moved to lightly shove the girl, looking away right after as she could feel her cheeks slowly turn warm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Yeon.”

“I’m just saying.” Chaehyun then looked back to see her friend lean back, a smug look on her face as she took a drink of her iced coffee. “Childhood friends can always end up being more.”

“Says you who can’t even confess to someone you’ve been crushing on since freshman year.” She then laughed as Dayeon then started coughing on her drink, hitting her arm slightly in retaliation.

“Foul!” The older of the two simply shrugged, a playful smile on Chaehyun’s face as she went for her own drink- ears perking up as she heard the words come out of Dayeon’s mouth. “Hey Youngeun, I need to ask you something.”

With wide eyes, Chaehyun watched as the Reaper then turned to look at them both- and if her eyes didn’t fail her, she swore that the Reaper narrowed her eyes as she noticed Dayeon’s arm wrapped around her shoulder.

“You and Chae have been friends for a while so I’m curious. What made you stick by her side? I’m pretty sure she’s just as annoying now as she was when she was younger.” Chaehyun quickly elbowed her friend after she was done talking, resulting in a groan escaping from Dayeon’s mouth right after.

“You’re really something Yeon. I can’t-“

“It’s not hard.”

Chaehyun froze, her arm wrapped around Dayeon’s neck, trapping the girl. They both looked up to see Youngeun wearing a pensive expression, one that Chaehyun barely saw even when they discussed things over dinner.

“Sure, she’s playful and teases a lot, and it does get annoying at times.” Chaehyun quickly glared- not at the Reaper, but at the girl she held hostage in her arms. Doing a discrete squeeze to shut her friend up as Dayeon snickered, she then turned back to look at Youngeun once more, still continuing her explanation.

“She doesn’t tidy her things around a lot. She also talks like she’s running a marathon sometimes. Then other times she’s very pushy, constantly insisting on doing this instead of that. It does get tiring.”

A pout found its way to Chaehyun’s face, but she also noted how not only was everyone else now paying attention to the girl still in thought, but also the fact that this was probably the most all of them ever heard her talk.

“But along with all of that- she also doesn’t back down from a challenge and fights for what she thinks is right. She wants to prove people wrong when they judge her on something, and won’t stop until she proves her point. A lot think would consider that annoying, but I think it’s admirable.” Chaehyun watched as the Reaper now turned to look at her, eyes right at her, before flashing her a gentle smile.

“Chaehyun’s very easy to be around, and I enjoy being around her.”

Stretching her arms about her head, Youngeun let out a sigh of relief as she entered the college student’s apartment, the owner of the apartment going straight to the kitchen while she went on to fix the dining table. The two had stopped by to get their meal for that night, both of them agreeing on just having take-out, not wanting to have to prepare their meal as they were tired from being out the whole afternoon.

As Youngeun was setting the table, she thought back to the interaction with Chaehyun’s friends that afternoon. Thinking about how since they were still young,  how they were still carefree. Yes, she heard their stories about deadlines, exams, and reports. But that was fine, they were still in school- they wouldn’t know how much of a hassle it would be to have to be in the working environment.

Then as she sits, the blonde sitting across her at the same time, Youngeun’s thoughts then flood to the sight she saw earlier as well, seeing how the blonde was acting with her friend. Curious, the Reaper then looks at the girl across her, Chaehyun being preoccupied as she was taking a bite out of her food.

“Do you like Dayeon?”

Youngeun quickly stood up, reaching for a glass of water as the human in front of her started coughing. She ran to the other side and tried to assist Chaehyun, handing her the glass of water while trying to soothe her coughing fit. “Are you okay??”

“Of all the questions to ask- why on earth would you ask that?”

Confusion was painted all over Youngeun’s face as she noted how the student now looked at her in disbelief before she took a big gulp of the water. “I take that as a no then?”

“Absolutely!” She watched Chaehyun set the glass down, her coughing fit finally subsiding. The blonde then turned to look at her again, emphasizing a big X with her arms. “Yeon’s my best friend, and that’s it. I can’t believe you’d ask that Yoeun.”

Going back to her seat, Youngeun stopped and turned around. With her brow raised, she looked at the college student with confusion, surprised at how the name felt… familiar? “What did you just call me?”

She saw how Chaehyun quickly looked back at her, mirroring the confusion as she tilted her head before realizing what just happened. “Sorry- was that too much? I just thought it’d be a cute nickname.”

“I was just caught off-guard.” Taking in a deep breath, Youngeun then shook her head and told the girl sitting across her that it was fine. “We should eat our food already, it might get cold.”

The two ate as silence blanketed them. Despite the quiet, it still wasn’t uncomfortable. Yes, Youngeun talked about how the other girl did have a habit of talking a lot- but that was mainly because she did have to listen to Chaehyun’s memories and such in order to properly help her move on.

“Are nicknames not a thing for Reapers?”

“It’s not that “ Looking up, she saw how Chaehyun flinched when their eyes met. She did feel bad because of it. The Reaper felt comfortable around the college student- she didn’t want the latter to feel otherwise. So instead,  she set her utensils down- now finished with her meal, then hummed softly as she thought about it. “The name just sounded familiar.”

“Could it be your past? When you were still human?”

“I doubt it.” Leaning back, she pressed her back against the chair, looking up to the ceiling as she mumbled out the words that followed through. “I don’t really remember much of my past. I just remember that I picked being a Reaper instead of being reborn. Life didn’t really interest me again.”

“I thought you said it was either being reborn or not?”

“I didn’t explain everything to you the first day we met.” By now, Youngeun brought her gaze back down- now looking right at her. “It just felt like if I explained that to you then, you might have really had an information overload.”

Youngeun then moved to get their plates, bringing them to the sink before hearing the blonde ask her to leave them there and sit back, wanting to know more about it. With a soft sigh, not quite happy about leaving the dishes unwashed, Youngeun sat back down.

“Being offered to be a Reaper instead of moving on, it’s only given to the souls who have a reason for wanting to leave life behind. Personally, I don’t remember much of my old life- I just remember I wasn’t happy with it, and it made deciding to be a Reaper much easier. A tradeoff when choosing to be a Reaper instead- not only do you forget about your past life, but you also end up forgetting the process you went through before becoming one.”

“So you’re someone who wasn’t happy with life- yet you want to guide others into a new one?”

Youngeun could understand her confusion, but all she offered was a quick shrug before briefly explaining her own side. “Just because I wasn’t happy with life, doesn’t mean everyone else would feel the same.”

The Reaper then saw how Chaehyun then looked deep in thought, she could see the cogs that were spinning in her mind- obvious that there was something that the human wanted to ask.

“Did you ever think of the what-ifs?” Now it was Youngeun’s turn to be confused, looking at the blonde with a slight tilt in her head before asking the girl to expound. “Like what if you picked being reborn instead.”

“It never really crossed my mind.” Youngeun then took notice of the time, realizing that it was starting to get late. Deciding that it would be best to end their conversation as she suddenly felt vulnerable, she stood up once more, walked towards the sink, and started washing the dishes- not before continuing her answer. “I was always keeping myself preoccupied. Never had the time to think of the what-ifs.”

Peacefully washing the dishes together, Youngeun washing them while the other dried them clean- the two ended up back in their comfortable silence. Once finished, they walked out of the kitchen and bid each other goodnight. And just before Chaehyun entered her own bedroom, Youngeun noticed the girl take a quick glance toward her, with a hint of hesitation before speaking up.

“For what it’s worth.” Youngeun turned to look right at her, seeing the blonde look down before meeting her eyes, taking in a deep breath before smiling at her. “If you did get reborn and we ended up meeting in this lifetime, I think I wouldn’t be so willing to leave my life so easily.”

Before Youngeun could even ask for more of an explanation for what was just said, she watched as the blonde quickly went into her room; leaving the Reaper standing alone in the living room.

For as long as she could remember, Youngeun never really had trouble sleeping. But with the sudden wave of new emotions flooding her mind, she barely had any sleep that night.

Chapter Text

Chaehyun was surprised to have looked at the date today, realizing that she was already through the halfway mark that the Reaper gave her. She was surprised that living with the being felt so normal- that she forgot she was actually letting go of her life in a bit under a month.

Today was one of the rare days that the human woke up before the Reaper did, and instead of starting her day- Chaehyun found herself just sitting up on her bed, gazing out the window as she thought of the past three weeks that had passed.

A smile immediately formed on her face as she thought about last week, on how she explained to the Reaper that before she passed, she wanted to at least do the things she had on her bucket list. How she didn’t plan on having to do so at her age, but now knowing what would await her, tried her best to do as much of the listed activities before leaving.

How when she told Youngeun that one of them would be hard, wanting to go paragliding, wanting to know how it would feel to fly. Only to be surprised the next Saturday morning by seeing the Reaper have two bags settled beside the couch; Youngeun telling her that they were going out of town and how they were going to cross off the thing she wanted to do the most.

By now, Chaehyun had moved to hug her knees, smiling fondly at the new memories she ended up having in such a short amount of time. Pointing out how none of them would have come up if not for the figure asleep in her living room.

Her thoughts were disrupted when her phone on the bedside table suddenly alerted her of a new message. Reaching for the device and quickly unlocking it, her eyes quietly scanned the text that just popped up, groaning out loud as she finally read through everything.

Dayeon had sent her a message, asking her for a favor. Apparently, her best friend thought it would be a great idea if she and Youngeun would join her for the day as she spent time with Hikaru.

Don’t get her wrong- she was glad that her best friend finally admitted to wanting to take their younger friend out on a date. But did she really have to drag her and Youngeun along with it?

Wasn’t it bad enough that Chaehyun was confused?

The thought of being confused suddenly woke Chaehyun up even more and looked at her hands with wide eyes. Why was she confused? Youngeun wasn’t even human- she was simply here to help her pass on with no regrets.

Sure, it was pretty obvious that the Reaper was attractive. And when one would be in a conversation with her, Youngeun had the habit of just looking right at you, giving you her full attention. To add to that, she also had the habit of showing how she takes care of people with very small gestures. Be it a light touch on your lower back to guide you somewhere or steer you away from a crowd. Or even just suddenly helping you with something- not even knowing she was aware that you were struggling.

But there were no feelings with all of that, and she shouldn’t have feelings for the Reaper either.

Right?

“Chae, I can hear you overthinking from the living room.”

The sudden voice surprised Chaehyun, causing the girl to fall off her bed with her blanket tangled around her legs. She looked up to see a still sleepy-looking Youngeun leaning onto her doorframe with a very confused look on her face. “Did you wake up from a nightmare or something?”

Pulling the blanket away and throwing it back towards her bed as she stood up and brushed the non-existent dust on her pajama pants, Chaehyun quickly moved past the Reaper, ignoring not just how Youngeun watched every movement she did, but also the growing heat on her cheeks as she thought of the nickname the Reaper had just called her.

After the night last week where her own nickname for the Reaper slipped out, Youngeun had decided to have one for her as well. It wasn’t an uncommon nickname perse, but knowing that the Reaper was comfortable enough with her to even think about it- made it much harder for the blonde.

“It’s nothing. I’ll make us some coffee.” Stopping in her tracks, Chaehyun took in a deep breath as she could still feel the Reaper’s gaze on her from behind. “By the way, we’re going to go out later. Dayeon asked us to hang out.”

“So one of your biggest goals before going, is to set up Dayeon with Hikaru?” Holding onto the cup of coffee she brought up to her face, Chaehyun simply nodded, avoiding the gaze of the Reaper sitting across her before speaking up even more.

“At least when I’m gone, they can be together! I doubt that girl will make a move without my help.”

“And why does this involve me?” By now, the blonde had wished that she could just dive into her cup and hide in the caffeinated liquid.

With eyes closed, the blonde took in a deep inhale, the smell of the coffee invading her senses and providing her with temporary courage to continue. “Yeon said it was a double date.”

There was a moment of silence as soon as that sentence was said, and Chaehyun dreaded the silence. She took a quick peek, only slightly opening one eye to see how the Reaper reacted to that statement.

She saw how Youngeun was now looking down at her own cup of coffee, an unreadable expression on her face as her eyes were focused looking below.

There was a moment of panic that washed over Chaehyun, quickly set down her own mug before speaking a bit faster than normal. “I mean, I can call Yeon and tell her that we can’t- I can just say that I’m not feeling well or something. She’s a grown adult- she should be able to confess on her own anyway.”

“I don’t really remember how dates work anymore…”

Blinking, Chaehyun looked at the Reaper who had just spoken up, asking her to repeat what she just said, as she wasn’t sure if she caught that right.

“I’ve been a Reaper for a while, and I just don’t remember how dates work.” She watched as Youngeun now looked up, but not at her- instead, looking towards the side, as one she raised one arm and sheepishly scratched her nape. “I wouldn’t want to be a boring date for you.”

There was a sudden warmth that invaded Chaehyun, ignoring how it most likely showed on her face as she bit her lower lip- trying her best to prevent a smile from forming. “I’m sure I won’t be bored with you Yoeun.”

Again, there were no feelings, right?

But Chaehyun was sure it wasn’t the same for her.

“I know I said I wasn’t sure how dates really worked anymore. But I’m pretty sure Dayeon being this frazzled isn’t supposed to be a thing right?” Youngeun leaned to her side, whispering to the blonde beside her who simply laughed at the statement.

A smile found its way to the Reaper’s face as she heard the laugh from the girl seated beside her, Youngeun smiling a bit wider as she saw how the blonde’s eyes curved into crescents while laughing. “Don’t be mean. She’s trying her best.”

The four had eaten lunch together, Youngeun staying quiet for most of the lunch as she observed the couple in front of her and at the tables around them. She did forget how dates went and wanted to try to at least not look awkward while being on one.

She noticed during the beginning of the ‘date’ Chaehyun was a bit fidgety. Why? Youngeun wasn’t so sure. But since she wanted the human to feel comfortable, Youngeun opted to look around, trying to take note of how other tables were before doing the same to the blonde beside her. And the Reaper was more than glad when she saw how Chaehyun’s shoulders visibly relaxed, now feeling at ease throughout their supposed double date with Dayeon and Hikaru.

After their meal, Chaehyun had suggested that the four of them head off to the nearby arcade. Youngeun caught the whisper that the blonde offered to her best friend, reassuring her friend to just be herself and enjoy spending time with Hikaru. As soon as she finished encouraging her best friend, Youngeun saw how the blonde immediately went back to her side, the Reaper suddenly feeling calmer as well.

Upon arriving at the arcade, Youngeun was surprised to see the change in Dayeon’s demeanor, the other human immediately heading for one of the arcade games that could reward them with tokens they’d be able to exchange for prizes at the front counter. “Hey Youngeun, up for a game?”

With her brow raised, Youngeun couldn’t help but smirk at the invitation. She remembered that Dayeon was not aware of her being supernatural. Therefore the girl didn’t know about her enhanced skills, considerably more agile, and stronger compared to humans. With a playful grin, Youngeun happily agrees to the challenge, already snickering at the obvious outcome.

“Double or nothing?” Their game had finished and just as Youngeun expected, she won over the human, barely breaking a sweat. The Reaper did want to applaud Dayeon though- she was just as competitive as she was.

Quietly agreeing to another round, Youngeun then felt a soft bump on her shoulder; quickly turned to face her side. She was greeted with a look on Chaehyun’s face that she couldn’t really read before the blonde leaned in close to whisper.

“I know you’re supernatural and have enhanced abilities and all, but can’t you let her win?”

“You’re asking a competitive Reaper to lose to a human?” Youngeun looked at the girl with a deadpanned look, the blonde obviously ignoring it as she then pouted and crossed her arms as she kept her gaze on the Reaper as well.

Groaning slightly and turning away from the pout, Youngeun could only mutter words of agreement very softly before telling Dayeon that she agreed to a double or nothing round.

Youngeun did not like losing.

She quietly sulked at the side as watched the couple go around the arcade, still not over the fact that she purposely lost a game she knew she would easily win. Still huffing as the thought of the game was in her mind, a bottle of water was suddenly placed in front of her. The Reaper’s eyes traveled up, seeing a smiling Chaehyun holding onto the water bottle. “Don’t be such a baby, it was just a game.”

Another huff escaped her lips as she grabbed onto the bottle, still mumbling while taking a drink of water. “I don’t like losing okay. Especially not to humans.”

“Oh come on, doesn’t it feel good by a bit?” Youngeun then realized that the girl sitting beside her was looking at her friends, laughing and playing around. It was obvious that the win did help Dayeon loosen up, and was now actually making a move to show the other girl that she was interested. Something Youngeun was actually relieved to know of. “Don’t they look cute?"

Hearing the statement, Youngeun didn’t know what came over her. But instead of looking at the other two, she found herself turning to look at the blonde seated beside her, eyes fixed on the smile that painted her face.

Without realizing it, a small smile found its way to the Reaper’s face as well. Before she turned away, doing so in case Chaehyun would catch her staring, whispering her response. “Yeah, cute.”

As the day progressed, they played a few more games before taking note of the sun setting outside. Youngeun took this time to stretch her arms, feeling her energy slowly deplete as the effects of the day started coming on her.

“Hey, Youngeun?” Lazily turning to her side, she was surprised as she saw Dayeon approach her with a warm smile on her face. “Thanks for letting me win a while ago, I needed the confidence boost.”

Now lowering her arms and pursing her lips together, the Reaper simply shook her head as she nonchalantly replied back. “You won fair and square, that was all you.”

“Sure, and I have 3 legs.” She watched as the other girl laughed, lightly slapping Youngeun’s shoulder in between laughs before giving her another smile. “With how you beat me in the first game? There’s no way you would have lost that second one. Thanks for not making it too obvious for the others though.”

Youngeun then watched as she pulled out a few tokens from her pocket before handing it over with a grin. “I was able to get Hikaru a prize with the tokens we got, but there’s some extra. Why don’t you get Chaehyun a prize too? I think I saw a cute rabbit plush there when Karu dragged me with her to pick her prize.”

The Reaper looked at the tokens in her hand thinking for a bit before mumbling slightly, hearing Dayeon ask what it was she said. In return, Youngeun merely pocketed the tokens before offering her own smile to Dayeon. “She likes tigers better actually.”

The two chuckle for a bit, Youngeun quite surprised with the sudden comradery bond she felt with Dayeon. “You know, ever since you visited she’s been way brighter and happier. It’s nice to know she has someone like you around her.”

There was something about that statement that gave a slight pang to Youngeun’s chest. But before she could talk with Dayeon more, they both heard Chaehyun and Hikaru call at them- the latter explaining that it was best for her to head home. As Dayeon offered to walk her home, they bid each other goodbye before heading out, leaving the Reaper with the blonde now standing beside her.

“Well, today was fun. Wasn’t it?” Youngeun saw the bright smile on Chaehyun’s face as the blonde excitedly turned to her, happiness painted all over.

The sight itself made Youngeun’s chest swell, and she herself couldn’t help but smile back and nod as a reply. Suddenly remembering her conversation with the blonde’s best friend, the smile on Youngeun’s face quickly turned into a small frown. “I wasn’t able to get you a prize though…”

“Silly.” She felt the blonde bump her arm onto her own, followed by a soft laugh from the girl. “You didn’t need to get me a prize.”

They were already walking towards the exit of the arcade until another machine caught the Reaper’s attention. Looking down at the tokens in her hands, she then grabbed onto Chaehyun’s wrist, lightly pulling the girl back who just looked at her in confusion.

Successfully getting her attention, Youngeun then pointed to the machine near the exit before letting go of the blonde’s wrist. “We still have some tokens left. We can use it on that?”

“The photo booth?”

“You did say you like photography.” Youngeun simply nodded slowly, suddenly, and strangely, feeling slightly shy about her suggestion before speaking up once again. “I know it’s not the same as taking a picture with a camera but it’s still a photo?”

The Reaper then saw how the blonde shyly looked down, again with another smile on her face before nodding and reaching for her hand. They both went in, Youngeun finding it a bit awkward as she realized this was something she never really did, while Chaehyun kept laughing before teasing the Reaper, eventually helping her afterward.

After the pictures were taken, Youngeun told the other how she still had a token left before being surprised by the blonde suddenly handing her a copy of the film strip. “The machine prints out two. So one for you, and one for me! As for the last token… Another souvenir?”

Slowly nodding, the Reaper accepted the strip, now looking at the set of four pictures they took together. Again, smiling as her eyes scanned the pictures, seeing the smiles on their faces- specifically on Chaehyun’s.

She liked seeing her smile.

Chapter Text

A few days after their trip to the arcade, Chaehyun found herself waking up later than she normally did. She also found herself feeling weaker compared to how she normally would be. At first, the college student would brush it off, saying that she probably just woke up wrong. It wasn’t until she ended up passing out while with her friends, did everyone really worry.

After that event and a visit to the doctor, Chaehyun found herself being carried back home on the Reaper’s back. Her friends insisted on coming with her, but the blonde stayed quiet as Youngeun spoke up for her. The Reaper thanked the friends for their concern, but at the moment, Chaehyun needed time to rest and process what was happening.

Upon arriving at the apartment, Chaehyun unconsciously held onto the girl carrying her a bit tighter, burying her face in Youngeun’s shoulder. “So you couldn’t tell me I had heart problems?”

“It wasn’t my place to say.” Chaehyun noticed how the other spoke in a softer tone, it was as if the Reaper was walking on eggshells and didn’t want to say anything that might upset her.

“Is it in your place to tell me what will happen in a bit over a week?”

“You go peacefully in your sleep.”

Chaehyun stayed quiet, sitting on the couch as the Reaper had gently let her down before heading towards the kitchen, grabbing something to drink for the blonde. The blonde then felt a dip on her side, Youngeun now sitting beside her and handing her a bottle of water. “How are you taking it?”

“I mean I should have expected it. You did tell me beforehand about me having to go.” Holding onto the bottle, Chaehyun simply played around with it. Turning it over, passing it from her left hand to the right, gipping onto it for a bit. Her throat felt dry, but she didn’t feel like taking a drink from the bottle. “I guess now that it’s so close, I can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

“For what it’s worth, it’ll be painless.”

“It does feel surreal knowing what’s going to happen. But I’m glad I got to actually do the things I’ve always wanted to. So I really do want to thank you.” Without really thinking, Chaehyun found herself leaning onto the Reaper’s shoulder, finding comfort with her presence there. She found herself chuckling softly as she closed her eyes and took in the scent of Youngeun’s perfume. “Funny how you’re supposed to be a Reaper, yet you acted like an angel for me.”

“Please don’t compare me to them. I know they’re good beings and all, but along with demons, they like playing pranks on Reapers.”

Chaehyun couldn’t help but chuckle at that statement. After the last month that had passed, she found herself finding Youngeun talking about the supernatural world funny- how the Reaper would always mix it in with a hint of sarcasm. It was just another way that the blonde ended up feeling more comfortable with the Reaper.

Her eyes then fell down to Youngeun’s hands, a thought passing through her mind before closing her eyes. “Will I be alone?”

“I’m here, aren’t I?”

Chaehyun was surprised to suddenly feel a hand on hers. The same hand that she was just looking at a while ago, now holding onto hers. “I’ll be here till the end.”

She then looked up, gently squeezing onto Youngeun’s hand to make the girl look at her. As soon as she did, she looked right at her and asked the other question that kept running around in her mind. “Can you stay with me in my room when we sleep till then?”

She saw how the Reaper took in a deep breath before slowly nodding, moving her free hand to gently pat the top of her head.

“I’ll be there when you go to sleep, and I’ll still be there when you wake up.”

For the next few days, her friends were visiting her apartment. Some days, they’d bring her favorite sweets, some days, they’d just watch whatever movie any of them felt like watching. She was glad her friends were being strong along with her, and she was more than happy to have known them as well.

When the view outside her window starts turning into the hues of orange to purple, they all take it as a signal to head out as it was starting to get late. They say their goodbyes for the day, promising to be back the day after.

Once they leave, Chaehyun is then left alone with the Reaper. They don’t talk about memories and such over dinner anymore, instead, they spend time together. From talking about anything and everything to watching even more movies together while having the Reaper hold her close. Something that she requested from Youngeun.

This would repeat as the days passed until eventually, it reached the last few days.

One night as she and Youngeun were lazing around in her room, she hears the Reaper point out the guitar that was in the corner. Youngeun said how she noticed it ever since she first came to her place, but not once had she seen Chaehyun use it.

With a blush, Chaehyun turns away, lightly scratching her cheek as she was about to explain her reason. “I used to play when I felt lonely. But since you came here, I haven’t really felt the need to play it again.”

“Can I hear you play it though? Dayeon also told me you sang.”

“Do I have to?” It has been a while since Chaehyun had last played, and the blonde was worried it might sound awful for the Reaper.

“Honestly, me being your childhood friend, I think I should have the privilege of hearing it.” Chaehyun found herself looking at the figure beside her with wide eyes before they both started laughing. Eventually, when their laughter did die down, she felt Youngeun bump her arm- the way she would normally do to the Reaper. “But really, I’d love to hear you sing. I heard nothing but praise about it.”

Biting her lower lip, Chaehyun stands up and grabs her guitar. She then moves to sit back on her bed with the Reaper sitting in front of her. Slowly she started strumming a melody, letting the intro play on before finally starting to sing.

Without realizing it, the blonde ended up closing her eyes, going into the emotion of the song as it was a song dear to her. She continued on, reaching the end of the song

Only to be surprised to hear Youngeun hum along in front of her.

As soon as the song ended, she looked at the Reaper- who in turn, simply looked right at her. Chaehyun could feel her heartbeat a bit faster than normal with how she was looking at her, but then managed to push it away when Youngeun finally moved to softly clap.

“They weren’t joking when they said you were really good. I’m glad I got to hear that.”

She moved back to set the guitar back to its original spot, still feeling a bit embarrassed at how Youngeun’s full attention was on her throughout the time she sang the song. The embarrassment however subsided when she suddenly felt fatigue fall upon her again- something that didn’t go unnoticed by Youngeun.

“You must be tired. We should head to sleep.” Agreeing in silence, Chaehyun made her way to the bed while the Reaper turned the lights off before joining her.

“Time’s pretty fast now isn’t it?” Chaehyun found herself saying so, as she pulled the blanket up to cover herself. She then felt the dip on her bed, indicating that Youngeun had joined her. Almost immediately, Chaehyun found herself in the embrace of the Reaper. “You’ll be here right?”

Before letting herself relax, Chaehyun’s eyes quickly caught sight of her clock. And just before more thoughts could flood her head, she felt the Reaper move her hand, attempting to soothe the blonde. “I’ll be here.”

Feeling secure in Youngeun’s arms, she let herself sink into the feeling. Taking in the Reaper’s scent once more before embracing her, falling into her slumber.

It was the 48th day.

“What if I told you that I wanted to be a Reaper?”

Youngeun looked at the blonde in surprise. Not once throughout their time together did the girl ever show any signs of wanting to leave life behind. She was the embodiment of living, yet here she was in front of her, asking if she could give it all up. “Where is this coming from Chae?”

Chaehyun wasn’t looking ahead, but from where they stood, the Reaper could see how the corners of the soul’s mouth twitched upward slightly- Youngeun figuring out that it was probably because of the nickname she called her.

“If I choose to be a Reaper…” She then watched as the blonde slowly looked down, her hands balling up into a fist as she prepared herself to speak up. “Would we be able to spend more time with each other?”

Youngeun continued to look at the girl, while Chaehyun simply kept her gaze away. Closing her eyes, the Reaper then let out what she didn’t expect- to be a shaky sigh. It was something she had tried to avoid the past few days that came before this day.

Youngeun wasn’t oblivious. She would notice how Chaehyun had been stealing glances from time to time, she noticed how in the final days, after ambiguously saying her farewells to her friends, she preferred spending them just with the Reaper. How the two of them simply stayed with each other, up until the time that Youngeun did have to collect her soul.

And as hard as she tried, Youngeun herself wasn’t any better.

She noticed how she found herself wanting to stick by the blonde’s side more. How she let her walls down and actually let the girl in. Yes, she started this job with curiosity about how humans would deal with this process- mainly since she couldn’t remember her feelings about it. But instead of answers, Youngeun simply found herself even more confused.

Chaehyun had made her feel like she wasn’t a supernatural being. There were emotions that she wasn’t familiar with anymore that flooded and terrorized her mind. There would be times that she’d feel the need to be around the girl, or times when she’d want to pull her away from others. It was as if she was so drawn to Chaehyun, and just wanted to be around her.

But that would be impossible.

The 48 days were up, and it was the 49th. It was the day that Youngeun had to help her crossover so she could be reborn into a new life, one that Youngeun herself made sure that she’d be even happier in.

Youngeun cleared her throat, taking notice of how the blonde flinched at the sound of it. “Being a Reaper isn’t easy. It gets messy sometimes, and not all the souls we end up collecting are… whole.”

“That doesn’t answer my question though.”

“Even in death, you’re stubborn.” Youngeun shook her head, a bitter chuckle escaping as she finally faced the blonde with a sad smile on her face. “How can we spend more time with each other when you won’t even know who I am?”

There was a look of confusion as their eyes met and Youngeun took in another deep breath before raising her hand- pinching the bridge of her nose as she spoke up once more. “I told you before, didn’t I? There’s a tradeoff.”

Lowering her hand and despite still looking away, from the corner of her eyes, Youngeun could see the other solely focus on her. Chuckling softly as she could see her eyes as expressive as always, showing just how confused she was about what was being said. Youngeun took it as a sign to continue what she was saying, to remind Chaehyun of what she had said a few weeks back.

“You leave life behind, you forget about the life you had, maybe if you’re lucky you have glimpses of them. But all the memories you had during the 49 days, you won’t remember any of that.” Now she found herself balling her hand into a fist, suddenly finding herself shaking a bit as she continued what she was explaining. “Even if you are a Reaper just like me, you’ll forget we ever met.”

Youngeun was beyond confused. While she had already explained all of this to Chaehyun before, for reasons she had no idea of, there was a slight pain in her chest as she explained it once more. The thought of not only the blonde giving up the life that she clearly enjoyed experiencing, but also living in death without any recollection of the memories she held so dear before her passing.

It hurt her.

And she didn’t want it to hurt Chaehyun either.

“You’re a good person Chae. You deserve to be able to live another life with happiness, just like how the one you just had was.” Youngeun could see the sadness on the blonde’s face and it hurt her a lot. So the Reaper extended her hand, moving to gently hold onto Chaehyun’s.

Youngeun looked at their joined hands, smiling sadly at the sight. And from what she could feel, the blonde was doing the same. There was that pang in her chest once more as she kept looking at their hands, the memories of the past 48 days flashing in her mind again.

From falling off her window to meeting her friends and hanging out with them regularly. From seeing the blonde every morning when she wakes up, to seeing her right before sleeping. From simply wanting to do her role of guiding her soul, to really wanting her to have a happy passing.

From being curious about how some humans liked life so much, to being confused about why she was feeling several things about the girl she was holding hands with.

It was safe to say that Youngeun was not able to get the answers she wanted with this task. In fact, she was bombarded with even more questions that she wasn’t sure she’d ever get answers with.

“So either way, I won’t remember you then.”

“Would that really matter?”

"Of course it does..." Letting out a sigh, Youngeun then slowly pulled the girl close, offering her a gentle hug, hearing the blonde mumble against her. “You won’t be there when I wake up.”

“Kim Chaehyun. After spending those 48 days with you, you made me learn so many things about life. Before becoming a Reaper, I wanted to get away from life, away from having to deal with the uncertainty. But then when I started being around you, you showed me how there was more to it than I thought.” Slowly pulling back, she offered a gentle smile, softly patting the top of Chaehyun’s head like before.

“Yes, when you get reborn, you won’t remember everything. You won't remember the friends you made before, you won’t remember the ups and downs you went through. And of course, you won’t remember me.” By now, Youngeun had pulled away, trying to not notice how the blonde resisted her pulling away.

“But you’ll get to live a new life. You’ll get to start all over again and be born into a life that you can live happily in all over again.” She then turned to face her fully, taking in another breath as she tries to show her sincerity to Chaehyun. “And knowing you Chae, you want to be happy and deserve to have another run.”

Seeing that the blonde did not budge, and still looked at her with eyes of confusion. Youngeun proceeded to bitterly chuckle, saying the words she didn’t want to say in front of the blonde. “So when you’re living your life again, live it for me as well.”

Almost instantly, Chaehyun threw herself at the Reaper, Youngeun quickly catching her and chuckling again as the blonde was gently hitting her. “You’re really not fair.”

When Chaehyun had finally stopped her actions, Youngeun turned to the threshold ahead of them before turning to look back at the girl in her arms.

She could feel the blonde grip on her sleeve, and Youngeun took it as a sign to give her one more hug. The Reaper felt the grip loosen and eventually she was able to pull away, smiling sadly at Chaehyun again as their eyes met. “It’s time.”

Slowly Youngeun watched as the blonde was right in front of the threshold. Chaehyun turns just before she goes through, looking at the Reaper with glassy eyes.

“Yoeun, I’m really glad I got to know you.”

Smiling back, she watched as her soul went through. The Reaper looked back at the threshold and let out a shaky exhale as she didn’t realize she was holding her breath. Youngeun was left standing there by herself, not realizing a single tear falling from her eyes.

“I'm really glad to have got to know you too Chae.”

Chapter Text

“So you’re the Reaper that May keeps talking about.”

Unfamiliar with the voice, Youngeun turned around to see a figure she doesn’t think she’s ever seen. She could tell the girl was a Reaper just like her, but really, the only other Reapers she speaks to would be May and Kotone. “And you are?”

“Yoon Jia, a friend of May’s.” Slowly nodding, she watched as the Reaper moved closer, opting to stand beside her and look at the same view that Youngeun had been looking at. “She said she was on her way and asked me to keep you company. Also told me to bring you a drink.”

Humming slightly, Youngeun simply reached her hand out, not really turning to face the newcomer while accepting the can of soda she had handed her.

“She also mentioned how curious you were about the mortal world after your last job. I didn’t expect you to be so curious, to the point of spending your well-earned break after guiding a soul, by being back in the mortal world.”

“Keeps me distracted.” As soon as she opened the can and took a sip from the drink, Youngeun kept her gaze looking at the crowd below them. The Reapers were on a bridge, on the rooftop of a building, the building high enough for them to see the vast scene in front of them, but also low enough to see the people walking below. “And there’s a charm to this place.”

“Charming enough for you to keep souvenirs I see.” Flinching at the statement, Youngeun turned to face the taller Reaper- who in return was smiling at her. She watched as Jia then pointed to the silver token that was in her hand, the same one that had from the time she was at the arcade. “You’ve been fiddling with it even before I made my presence known.”

Bringing her hand up and rolling the coin across her fingers before letting it rest on her palm, smiling fondly at it. “It means a lot to me.”  

“Is that your only souvenir?” Quickly closing her palm, keeping the token in her now balled-up hand, Youngeun’s mind quickly thought of the film strip she kept in her inner jacket pocket, before moving to pocket the token in her hand.

“There’s another, but forgive me. It’s a bit more personal and I’d rather not reveal it.”

The two were then left in silence, Youngeun a bit puzzled as to why her friend sent this other Reaper to keep her company. There was something about her that was causing an itch at the back of Youngeun’s head. But from what she knew, this was the first time she met this Reaper.

In fact, ever since she was tasked to guide Chaehyun’s soul- her curiosity about life faded away, and instead random moments of confusion flooded her mind. There’d be times when she would do the simplest of actions and activities, only to feel like it was something of déjà vu.

Which was why Youngeun frequented being on this rooftop.

She wanted to clear her mind, she wanted to not think about all those thoughts that she couldn’t understand. She hated not understanding it.

And now, meeting Jia sparked the same feeling, as when Chaehyun called her by that nickname.

And it confused her even more.

Her internal struggle was disrupted when she heard the Reaper beside her let out a sigh. Youngeun turned to face the other Reaper, only to see the nostalgic smile that was painted on her face. “Did you ever wonder, why some Reapers only guide a soul to get reborn just once?”

“Reapers only need one big break?”

“Funny.” She watched as Jia looked down at the crowd below them, humming softly as she observed them all. “We’re supposed to be neutral, we aren’t to intervene nor influence. We can assist the soul, but not implant the idea of something unless it was in their minds in the first place. Our main goal is to maintain the balance of life and death.”

All Youngeun could do was nod. It wasn’t as if Jia was wrong, but it also wasn’t as if she didn’t know this information. She was, after all, a Reaper herself.

“We give the human souls a choice at the end, and then we move on to the next. The majority choose to move on, be reborn, and live out another life. Yet some, like you and me, pick this path instead.”

“I don’t mean to be rude, especially since we just met. But why are you telling me something I already know?”

“Because while we know all of that, most fail to remember…” Youngeun hears the taller Reaper hum slightly, both of them watching the crowd below, going about their daily routines. Her ears perked up as she heard the response of the figure beside her. “Reapers were once human souls as well.”

She then watched as Jia turned around and leaned her back to the railing, throwing her head back as she looked at the sky above them. “Did you know that Reapers get a second chance?”

Not quite understanding just what the girl had said, Youngeun felt herself forget to breathe for a quick second. Her full attention, was now on Jia as the girl smiled. “What if I told you that the reason why most Reapers end up only guiding one soul, is because once they do, they end up wanting to be reborn as well?”

 “I’d call your bluff.”

“Your disbelief hurts me.” The taller Reaper laughed before lulling her head to the side, now looking at Youngeun seriously. “Do you not want to be reborn now?”

Youngeun scanned her face for any trace of this being a joke, only to be proven wrong as she saw how serious Jia was about the statement. Swallowing on nothing, she then took in a deep breath as she started speaking up. “You know, I picked being a Reaper over anything without hesitation. I may not remember just why I was so intent on leaving life behind, but I do remember how it was something I just never really favored. And when I started collecting souls, I saw humans cry, scream, and thrash around in defiance. So it settled in my mind, that maybe that was the reason I picked being a Reaper over being reborn.”

Youngeun then realized just how tight her grip on the can she was holding had been, before turning away with a whisper.

“But now I have a new perspective of it all.”

Moving her free hand to gently touch the flap of her jacket, the location opposite the filmstrip that was currently nestled inside. “I got to see how some found the beauty of life. How even through a struggle one could go through, they see the good in it still and tell themselves that they should still smile through it since the following days may just be better.”

Closing her eyes now, Youngeun found herself smiling as the thought of the blonde crossed her mind. “Then there’d also be times when others would be able to influence you into becoming something else. You can be confused at first, not quite sure what would be happening, and the fear of the unknown would be taking over. But then a sense of comfort would then make itself known, and then you focus simply on that and end up feeling bliss.”

“While being here, I was called a name I never heard before. But it felt familiar. It confused me, made me worry, and it really got me thinking ‘maybe this is my past trying to claw its way back to me.’, and it scared me a bit. But at the same time, it was comforting, warm,  nice. It made me happy. It made me feel l like I was home.”

She then turned to face Jia, looking at her seriously before saying with confidence. “So yeah, I do want to be reborn.”

“Then go.”

The serious expression turned into confusion as she heard those two words, she saw Jia chuckle as a response before jerking her head towards the door. “Go for it Eun. Go experience everything you just said, and live your new life.”

Not really knowing what came over her, Youngeun found herself already in front of the door, hand on the handle before turning to face the other Reaper still leaning onto the railing. “Who are you really?”

“Like I said, Yoon Jia. A friend of May’s.”

“Thank you Jia.”

She saw Jia flash her a playful grin before waving her off. “Now go. Stop delaying yourself.”

And Youngeun opened the door to leave the rooftop.

Moments later, Jia was humming happily as she sat on the ledge. Her eyes closed and her legs swung as she enjoyed the breeze.

“Jia? I’ve been looking all over for you. What are you doing here?”

The taller Reaper turned around and waved at her friend, the newcomer now joining her at the ledge. “Isn’t this a nice place May?”

May now looking strangely at her before nodding slowly. “It is… But I thought you said you were working a job?”

“I was. And I just finished it actually.”

She straightened up at the words before turning to face her friend with surprise. The words slowly registered in her head. Jia simply flashed her a toothy grin before nodding her head once more.

“After all this time, you finally helped Eun move on. Kotone’s going to throw a tantrum after I explain how she left without saying anything.” May then relaxed as she leaned onto the railings and found herself smiling. “But I’m glad she finally did.”

“So am I.” Jia then turned to face her fellow Reaper beside her, nudging her slightly. “And thanks for being the friend she needed in my place.”

“No problem.” May shoved her hands in her pocket, the two Reapers now walking away from the ledge. “Must have sucked for your best friend to not remember you though.”

“It did. But it makes helping her move on feel even better.” Jia looked down at her watch, humming, and prepared to head back along with her friend. “Her Reaper being her best friend was a big factor for choosing to become one, and I didn't want to hold her back anymore.”

“Do you think they’ll meet again?”

“Her and Chaehyun? I don't know how fate works, we just keep the balance.” Thinking about it for a bit, Jia ended up shrugging before leaving the building along with May. “But I do hope so. Eun hasn't smiled like that in a long time.”

“Seo Youngeun hurry up!”

Youngeun groaned as she struggled to catch up to her taller friend ahead of her. “Ting, you have to remember I’m not as tall as you. I can’t stride as fast as you.”

“Yeah, tell Yaning that as your excuse when she gets mad at us for being late for rehearsal. I’m sure she’d prefer that explanation instead of us telling her we slept in.”

Youngeun found herself sighing as she realized that her roommate was right and pushed herself to move faster, trying her best to catch up with the taller girl’s pace.

Today was the day of the school festival, and Youngeun being in the dance department’s representative team, she and the rest of her friends had a performance later on in the day. Being too focused on her academics, she failed to set the alarm for both her and Xiaoting last night- leading to both of them waking up in a panic as they saw the time.

Finally reached the auditorium, Youngeun and Xiaoting headed straight to the backstage room that was given to the team. And being exhausted from trying to catch up to her roommate, Youngeun ended up crouching down to catch her breath. Taking in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down, she then quickly stood back up upon hearing the dance team leader speak up from behind them. “You’re both late.”

Turning around and sheepishly smiling at Yaning, the younger student simply tried her best to avoid getting scolded. She looked back and forth before her eyes landed on the schedule that was taped beside their door. “The vocal department’s rehearsal just finished right? Meaning we didn’t miss our turn yet, leading to no harm done. So technically, we’re not late! ”

Nervously grinning toward the older girl, she felt her shoulders fall in relief as she saw Yaning shake her head with a chuckle. “You guys are so lucky you’re my friends first before teammates.”

“So you let them off easy when they’re late. But when I’m late, you get all mad at me? I thought we were best friends!”

“Bing, you are my best friend. But you’re also co-captain and my roommate. You’re literally not supposed to be late.”

Youngeun smiled as she watched her friends all interact and bicker as she stayed near the exit of the room. Opting to stay there and watch them from afar, trying her best not to get involved in their antics.

She stayed in her spot silently observing until the sound of a guitar took her attention. Before she knew it, Youngeun suddenly found herself leaving the room, and following the melody, leading her right to the source. She was greeted by another student alone in one of the empty rooms, peacefully strumming her guitar as she sang softly.

There was something about the song that drew the dancer closer, and without realizing it, Youngeun found herself leaning onto the doorframe. As she listened, she was confused to have felt a slight pang in her chest as her eyes fell upon a glimpse of pink and listened to the girl sing.

Without realizing it, Youngeun let out a soft hum, suddenly singing along with the girl. Almost immediately, the girl stopped what she was doing and looked up, meeting eyes with Youngeun. The dancer quickly realized how awkward the situation suddenly became, and instantly apologized for her intrusion. “Sorry! I didn’t mean to bother you. I heard you playing and I was curious.” Sheepishly scratching her nape, Youngeun then flashed a grin towards the stranger. “You sing really well. I’m glad I got to hear that.”

The dancer saw how the other student looked at her with narrowed eyes, and she felt worried about the sudden tension. Now moving to scratch her cheek as she carefully spoke up. “Did I say something?”

“No, sorry. I just… suddenly felt déjà vu.” She watched as the girl shook her head before setting her guitar down. “And I hope that I sing well, I'm in the vocal department after all. Wouldn’t want to have picked the wrong major.”

Youngeun found herself chuckling at the statement, the chuckle quickly subsiding and turning into a grin as she heard the other student laugh as well. “So you’re performing later then?”

The other girl nodded, her laughter now subsiding. “Yeah, I just finished my rehearsal. You?”

“I’m in the dance department. We’ll be rehearsing in a bit.” There was a quick moment of silence before the dancer’s phone made a sound, the student quickly looked at her phone as she read the notification.

“I’m assuming your team is looking for you?”

The two laughed again as Youngeun raised her phone, showing the screen with a message from her team captain. “Got that right.”

“Well, I look forward to your performance later then. I heard a lot of good things about the dance department.”

Feeling proud of herself and her team, Youngeun then thanked the singer as she offered her those words. They were both now outside the room, simply standing in front of the doorframe facing each other, and not really sure as to why the other hadn’t left yet.

It wasn’t until the singer’s phone instead made a sound, waking them both up from their trance as now she was being looked for. “And that’s my team looking for me.”

“Well, I also look forward to your performance later on.”

“By the way, my name’s Seo Youngeun.” They both chuckled again before Youngeun bounced on her heels a bit, flashing the girl a toothy grin before finally sticking her hand out for a handshake. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” The pink-haired singer chuckled before shaking her hand, looking back towards her, a beaming smile on her face as their eyes met.

“I’m Kim Chaehyun.”

Chapter Text

Youngeun silently observed the figure sitting haphazardly on the ledge of the building, leaning onto the doorframe as she did so. Several thoughts entered her mind as she looked at the figure, brushing them aside as she finally cleared her throat letting the other know of her being there.

The raven-haired Reaper then turned to look at her, a slight tilt to her head and a curious look in her eyes. “Can I help you?”

Raising her right arm, Youngeun waved a file in front of her, her left hand in her pocket as it held onto the token with all her power as she clenched her jaw, noticing how the other Reaper’s eyes seemed to light up. “I’m here to give you, your list of souls.”

The other Reaper then jumped down and skipped towards Youngeun’s direction, accepting the list and skimming through it before looking up at her with an excited smile. “All my other friends have received theirs already. I was wondering when I’d get my first task. Thank you for handing this over…”

“Youngeun, my name is Youngeun.”

The raven-haired Reaper then looked at her, eyes observant and fixated on her before she nodded a small bow in return. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Chaehyun.”

Youngeun let out a deep breath as Chaehyun returned to skimming through the names, a look of concentration etched all over her face as she did so.

After Chaehyun had remained stubborn and adamant about being a Reaper, insisting that at least this way they could remain close to each other, what Youngeun had warned would happen, eventually happened.

Yes, Chaehyun became a Reaper. Yes, they were in the same profession (if you would choose that word to describe it). But of course, the trade-off played into effect.

Along with the title of Reaper, came its baggage.

Sure, she and Youngeun would end up being around each other more- but that was it.

They were around each other, but Chaehyun had no idea who she was. All the memories of knowing the other, spending time with her, and learning more about her. All of them were gone. It was as if it never happened.

Except it did.

In hindsight, May did warn her before not to get attached and reminded her about how it was simply a job she had to do. If not, it was embarrassment or something worse.

She didn’t expect something worse to be like this.

It was bad enough that only Youngeun could remember their time with each other, those 48 days they spent getting to know each other, annoying each other, keeping each other company, and such.  What surprised her the most though, was that whenever she would occasionally bump into Chaehyun, being near her always led to pain in her chest.

At first, it was something that Youngeun thought was just her imagination. After all, during the time she was in the human world, there were constant moments of confusion. How some times she felt like parts of her past life were clawing back to her, and she basically thought it was a side effect of being in the world of the living for too long.

But now that they were in their realm, the confusion didn’t dissipate. But she did learn to push most of it away. Instead, Youngeun was now distracted by the fact that she would feel a slight pain in the place where her heart had been before.

She thought that there was a problem with herself, maybe she was in the human world too long, maybe that kind of job didn’t suit her like she thought it would. It took a while, but she had finally realized that the pain would only make itself known once she was within close proximity to the new Reaper.

So even in disbelief, Youngeun stayed quiet and tried her best to keep her distance. She had thought that that was probably the best resolution for her problem.

She ended up watching as Chaehyun ended up becoming one of her fellow Reapers. She watched as the new Reaper ended up getting along with others, how despite not being human anymore; her bubbly and approachable personality still seemed to remain.

It was easy for the first few days, keeping her distance from the (now) raven-haired girl. And for the most part of it, the pain was barely there. Only ever happening if they accidentally end up in the same vicinity and such. So Youngeun had tried to request more jobs in the hopes to distract herself, creating distance from the realm, only to be told that it was too soon for her to take another and that she should just lay low and rest.

Apparently, trying to go for another run this soon would risk her running into people she ran into during her last job, causing tension and or issues to occur that could simply disrupt the balance that they, as Reapers, try their best to maintain.

So after the rejection of being offered a new job, she’d then try to distract herself by cooking for her and her friends, meeting up with them more often, basically trying her best to keep her mind occupied. But when her friends started that Youngeun was being unusually clingy, she grumbled and kept her distance from her friends, the rest laughing at how easy it was to tease her.

And even with all of those events happening to her, there was still that feeling of wanting to approach Chaehyun- it would constantly pick at her from the back of her mind. It was as if that feeling decided to let Youngeun have her peace for a moment, before finally deciding on when to claw its way back up and plant itself in her mind, reminding her that there was no escape.

So despite the annoying pain that would occur every time she was even just in the same area as the other Reaper, Youngeun had learned to simply grip onto the token she brought back with her, trying her best to keep herself grounded as she’d cross paths with Chaehyun.

It was unnecessarily selfless- that was what Kotone and May told her after Youngeun had explained to them what was happening. Her friends pointed out that she was going through all this pain just because she was much more attached to the newly appointed Reaper than she thought, while Chaehyun on the other hand, had no idea who she even was. To her, Youngeun was a complete stranger, just another Reaper like her.

But to Youngeun, it didn’t really matter.

Because despite the pain, seeing how there was a bright smile on Chaehyun’s face made her think that it was worth it. It was very human, and it was very cliché, but Youngeun couldn’t help it. She had nothing but free time.

She was stubborn.

And she missed Chaehyun.

So when she overheard the other Reapers talk about how they had a file to give to the newer Reapers, Youngeun quickly took the chance to volunteer to hand Chaehyun’s over to her.

Youngeun ignored the furrowed brow of the supervisor, clearing her throat and simply explaining to them, that if she couldn't take a job on her own, this was the least she could do. She swore that they didn’t take whatever it was her defense was, because really, that was the lousiest excuse anyone could come up with. And her superiors obviously did not buy it, but they couldn’t be bothered. As long as it meant that the file would get to who it needed to get to, that was all they cared about. So they let her off and told her to be sure that Chaehyun would get the list within the day.

Which was how she found herself standing in front of Chaehyun.

And it was against their rules to actually inform the other party about the past they had- their higher-ups warning them that doing so would hurt both the Reapers in unimaginable ways. Ways that Youngeun didn’t really know up till late. (Really, how was she supposed to know that Reapers could feel pain like this?)

Tightening her grip on the token in her pocket, Youngeun couldn’t help but let out a sad smile as she saw the expression, it reminded her of the times when they were back in the human world all those months before. It gave Youngeun a feeling of nostalgia as the memories she had with this girl came flooding back.

Other than her bubbly personality, Youngeun had wondered if other aspects of her previous life carried over as well. She couldn’t help but wonder if Chaehyun was still messy, or did she still have the same liking for music as much as she used to. She wanted to get to know her all over again.

If only the pain would stop and let her.

Her grip on the token in her pocket was starting to hurt her hand, and Youngeun was more than sure that it would leave a mark on her palm- one that her friends would question once they meet up later in the day.

Youngeun’s train of thought then ceased as the Reaper in front of her closed the file with a slight huff. Just moments ago, the look of concentration and excitement so evident on her face, was now replaced with a little worry and doubt.

“Can I ask you something?”

Worried that her own voice would fail her, Youngeun simply nodded her head as Chaehyun was now looking at her with a tilt to her head.

“It’s a hard job, right? Being a Reaper I mean. having to collect souls and all that.”

Youngeun took in a deep breath as she processed the question, now pocketing her other hand as well (in an attempt to calm herself down at least). It was a question she never really thought about, much more ever expected to hear from anyone.

But then again this was Chaehyun. Sure, she wasn’t the same as the one she met in the human world, but it was still her soul. So essentially, it was still her. Just a part of her.

Finally releasing the long breath she kept in, feeling herself find a bit more stability, she finally decided to speak up; answering Chaehyun’s question. “It would depend on the job.”

“How so?”

“Some are easy enough. The souls would tag along with no hesitation, no questions, and just accept it. Some are the opposite. Others don’t necessarily believe you, then they fight back, and they deny everything you tell them. They’d call you a liar, say you’re crazy, and every other thing they could think of. Then there are times when others leave the human world peacefully and realize they have no choice but to come with us. While others sometimes leave the world violently- that sight normally takes time to get used to…”

Youngeun then found herself turning to the side, eyes watching the setting sun, keeping her gaze away from the Reaper in front of her. “Then some souls sometimes make you question things.”

“Like what?”

Looking back toward Chaehyun, she took another deep breath as she locked eyes with her, ignoring her chest tightening even more as she did. “Like if you made the right choice.”

The two stayed silent for a bit, and Youngeun wondered if she said too much. She saw how Chaehyun was taking in everything she had just said and found it amusing that she could tell that she was thinking about everything as her face showed such.

“How was it for you?”

“It was easier than I expected at first. But then it got complicated.”

“Because of?”

Youngeun stayed quiet for a moment, looking at the Reaper in front of her. Her chest begged her to leave as the pain started to intensify, telling her that she was pushing herself too much by doing everything she was doing. Youngeun simply closed her eyes for a moment and took in another deep breath, her left hand hurting more as she gripped even stronger than she thought she ever could.

“Reasons.”

“You’re very vague with your answers you know that?”

There was a pout on Chaehyun’s face and it took a lot in her to not chuckle at the sight of her cheeks puffing up. So instead, Youngeun shrugged once again, trying her best to remain nonchalant about things despite her wanting to pat the top of the other Reaper’s head. “I try.”

Before anything else could have been asked or said, the two Reapers were startled as they heard voices suddenly from behind them, evidently ending their conversation before anything else could be said.

“There you are!”

Both heads turned to face the newcomers, Youngeun flinching as she spots Kotone beside the other Reaper that walked in. The other Reaper then eyed her as she saw who she was with.

Youngeun let out an awkward chuckle before her friend quickly hooked her arm around her neck, leaning down to whisper into her ear. ‘You’re going to get an earful from May later.’

Still struggling under her taller friend’s grasp, Youngeun’s ears suddenly perked up as the conversation beside them stole her attention. Suddenly finding some strength to stand straight and halt her friend from her actions, Youngeun looked up, and at the other two Reapers with them as the other repeated herself. “I didn’t know that you and Youngeun knew each other?”

“We met just now. She handed me my list of souls.”

“Since when did you do delivery work Seo?”

Finally pushing Kotone’s arm away, Youngeun fixed her jacket and now messy hair, slightly (but still playfully) shoving Kotone away before answering the other. “Very funny Jiwon. I was just in the area and had free time.”

“I did hear you’ve been given a lot of free time lately.”

“You two know each other?”

Jiwon was another Reaper that Youngeun had learned to trust. She wasn’t as close to her as she was with May and Kotone, but she was still someone she could go to when she needed something. And when Chaehyun had decided on becoming a Reaper, she was the one that Youngeun had thought of approaching for a favor. She had asked Jiwon if she could be a friend that Chaehyun would need in lieu of her, thinking that the two would probably get along.

But of course, Chaehyun didn’t know.

Youngeun watched as Jiwon nodded chuckling a bit as she threw a smile at her. “We worked jobs before that crossed paths a lot. At some point we tried to compete who could do their job the fastest, the loser would finish both reapers' paperwork for a week.”

“Stop being cheeky. You won once, and then you said you didn’t want to do another bet because it was ‘boring’.”

“You’re just bitter you lost the bet Seo.”

Youngeun couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she heard the other laugh a bit more, glaring at Kotone as her friend started laughing as well. It was then that Youngeun couldn’t help but flinch once more as her chest felt such a sharp pain, strong enough that she felt her breath get caught up in her throat. She then realized that Chaehyun was laughing along with the other two. And as much as Youngeun wanted to hear it more, the longer she listened, the more it hurt.

By some miracle, (was it really? Youngeun wasn’t sure.) Jiwon had then stopped laughing, clapping her hands before facing the two friends. “Well, we really should catch up next time. It’s been a while since we hung out. But for now, I have to make sure this baby Reaper, gets properly briefed for her first week on the job.”

“I’m not a baby!”

“Sure, you aren’t. Now let’s go.” Youngeun watched as Jiwon moved to drag the raven-haired Reaper towards the door.

To her surprise, just as Chaehyun was passing her, the Reaper turned to face her, flashing a smile as she did. “It was nice meeting you Youngeun.”

Unable to move, Youngeun softly hummed as the two Reapers left. Her eyes were still on the door as the pain finally started to subside, only to be surprised once more when she felt a loud slap to the back of her head.

“I swear Youngeun, despite being a supernatural being and all. You’re really way too stupid and way too selfless for your own good.”

Youngeun was sitting on the floor of the rooftop, her legs through the railings as they dangled off the side while her arms were crossed one another. Her chin lay atop her arms as she looked at the setting sun in front of her.

She was enjoying the silence before she let out a quick wince. She took in a quick, deep breath before speaking up. “I know you’re there.”

There was a small whine behind her before another figure joined to sit beside her, mimicking her position with a huff. “It’s not fair. I never understand how you can always tell if I’m behind you. I can literally surprise everyone else but you!”

“Maybe you’re not as quiet as you think Chaehyun.”

Youngeun simply hummed as she chuckled in her mind- there was no way she would explain to Chaehyun that she knew mainly because she felt pain every time they were near each other.

The other Reaper did not need to know. At all.

“Or you just have super-hearing, even better than every other Reaper out there. And didn’t I tell you before? Just call me Hyun!” Youngeun was more than glad that despite the other Reaper asking for a nickname, she didn’t pick out her first syllable as a nickname. Youngeun wasn’t sure if she could call her the same name she used to before she became a Reaper.

She could tell that Chaehyun was still grumbling a bit, but before Youngeun could even apologize for teasing the other Reaper, she felt a warm can press against her arm.

Turning to look at her side, she sees Chaehyun hand her a can of what looked to be milk tea. Albeit confused, Youngeun reached to grab it, thanking the Reaper in the process. “I completely forgot that there were vending machines in the human world that could dispense warm drinks. You mentioned how you didn’t like coffee that much, so I hope you don’t mind this.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I know. I wanted to.”

After they first met, Youngeun ended up finding herself bumping into the raven-haired Reaper more often. Once Chaehyun had finished her first job, she happily greeted Youngeun, telling her that everything went smoothly and she got commended for doing a good job on her first run.

From then on, considering that Youngeun herself, still wasn’t being given any new work (for reasons she absolutely could not understand), she had way more free time that she would like. So it led to her being someone Chaehyun could bother from time to time. Something that Youngeun literally asked Jiwon to help her with, but the other Reaper just defended herself, saying that she couldn't control Chaehyun if the other Reaper wanted to spend time with her as well.

So they frequently ended up seeing each other on the rooftop, the same one that no other Reaper seemed to like visiting other than the two of them, and occasionally their friends. But really, only when they need to look for either Youngeun or Chaehyun.

In Youngeun’s defense, she frequented the place because it was quiet and peaceful, plus she could peacefully observe humans as they go on in their daily lives while maintaining her distance from them. Still partially reminiscing about her time up in the human world, living amongst them for a bit.

Chaehyun on the other hand- was just drawn to the location. According to her, the rooftop made her feel relaxed and at home. She would sometimes observe the humans below as well, but most of the time, she was there to enjoy feeling the breeze brush against her, and the rays of the sun on her. There was just really something about the place that made her want to be there.

One day, in secret, she confessed to Youngeun, how being there made her feel a little semblance of being human all over again. The other Reaper, obviously shocked, asked with confusion and a tinge of nervousness. “Then why are you a Reaper if you wanted to feel like you were human again?”

She watched as Chaehyun was deep in thought before shrugging her shoulders. “I can’t quite remember why I wanted to be one. Then again, none of us do right?” The raven-haired Reaper then smiled before leaning back, looking up at the sky above them as the sun continued to set. “Jiwon and Bora ask me the same thing sometimes. And as much as I want to answer all of you, I just can’t seem to remember why I picked being a Reaper either. But whatever it was, it must have been a big reason. I can’t really think of anything so important that I decided not to be reborn again.”

Youngeun bit her inner cheek as she listened to those words that came from the other. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself down, Youngeun stayed quiet as she tried her best to clear her mind and push the pain away.  

Because of course, the pain was still there. In fact, that was the reason why Youngeun’s hold on the can was tighter than normal. But due to the consistent increase in the frequency of how she and Chaehyun would end up spending time with each other, Youngeun had learned to simply adjust to the pain.

It was as if she had started building a level of tolerance to it, of course, it wasn’t ideal nor was it a good thing that she had to reach this extent. But it was something that she would rather go through instead of the idea of distancing herself from Chaehyun.

‘You’re really stupid and too selfless for your own good.’

Youngeun let out a soft sigh as she threw herself back, landing on her back as she kept her eyes on the clouds above them as well, from the corner noticing that Chaehyun had now turned to look at her with curiosity.

After a few moments of silence, she turned her head to face the other, locking her eyes with Chaehyun’s as she did. “So do you regret picking being a Reaper then?”

“Maybe? But if I wasn’t a Reaper, I wouldn’t really be what I am now, wouldn’t I?” There was a pensive look on her face before Youngeun saw her copy her- Chaehyun now lying down beside her. “I wouldn’t have the experience I have now, I wouldn’t know the things I know now.”

Youngeun was shocked when the other Reaper suddenly turned to face her, the distance between them was less than she had expected and she felt herself hold her breath as she looked into Chaehyun’s “What?”

They stayed like that for a moment, before Youngeun had to break off the eye contact, her chest starting to ache even more again. She simply shook her head before jokingly pushing the Reaper beside her, remarking how the raven-haired Reaper doesn’t act like one of their own kind before sitting back up and hugging her knees.

Both were now quiet as the sun had finally set, a blanket of purple and dark blue covering the skies as the moon started to show itself.

“What about you Yoeun?”

Youngeun was more than glad that the other hadn’t copied her movement and sat up, considering that she wasn’t able to control the wince that was an automatic response when she heard that name. As much as she built up a tolerance to the pain when being around the Reaper, hearing Chaehyun call her by that same nickname that meant a lot to her seemed to hurt the most.

But she couldn’t tell her that.

“Are you asking me if I regret being a Reaper?”

Without turning back, she heard a hum of agreement from the figure behind her, and decided that- since she was already being stupidly selfless by being around Chaehyun, why stop now?

“I used to never doubt being a Reaper. It always felt like it was a no-brainer why I picked on being one. Not that I fully remember why- but it was just my gut telling me so.” For the nth time that day, Youngeun found herself letting out another sigh, hugging her knees even tighter as she rested her chin on top of them. “Then I ended up learning about things in a new light, and had a new perspective on the beliefs I had as a Reaper.”

“Because of a job?”

Biting her lower lip and nodding slightly, Youngeun closed her eyes, a sad smile on her face as she tried to make it as vague as possible to not jolt anything in Chaehyun’s memories- if they were even there. “A specific job made me doubt a lot of things. It made me realize that there were things or reasons why being a human could be a great thing too. Despite there being horrible things in the human world-  wars, diseases, pain, sadness, all those terrible things. There are still other things in the world that can balance it out.”

Youngeun took note of the silence beside her, hearing the occasional shuffling, telling her that Chaehyun must’ve changed her position from lying down, to probably sitting beside her now. Eyes moving to look up at the moon, Youngeun decided to take the silence from the Reaper beside her as a sign to continue on with what she was talking about.

“Despite the horrors the human world has to offer, there’s an equal amount of beauty. And even though it’s hard to see, it’ll always be there. And sometimes one won’t be able to find it on their own, so when they have people by their side in that experience- it just makes it even more worthwhile.”

“That must have been a really important job then.”

“It was.”

“Do you regret doing that job? It seems to have affected you a great deal.”

Away from the other Reaper’s eyes, Youngeun opened her left hand, eyes fixated on the imprint of the token she consistently gripped whenever they were together. Briefly shifting to look at the tiny crescent imprints on the side of her palm where her nails would meet skin when she does ball up her fist, thinking a bit before closing her hand once again.

“If I didn’t take that job, I wouldn’t really be what I am now, wouldn’t I?”

Youngeun chuckled as she was shoved from behind, Chaehyun mumbling and calling her a loser for simply repeating what she had said earlier in their conversation. They laughed together, and eventually subsided at the same time as well.

Youngeun knew that being a Reaper had its trade-offs, when you start you have no memories about your past and have to deal with taking souls that sometimes don’t want to be taken. What she didn’t expect was in order for her to be happy now as a Reaper, an additional trade-off occurred.

And if feeling the slightest bit of pain every time she was around someone who was important to her, despite them not even knowing just how important- nor why they mattered to them so much, meant that she could continue to see that smile.

That smile she saw on Chaehyun’s face in the human world, that same smile she had on whenever she was genuinely happy.

Then Youngeun would gladly do so.

“Bora and Jiwon are looking for me. We were going to grab something to eat. Want to join us? I’m sure Jiwon would love to have another debate with you.”

Shaking her head, Youngeun simply waved it off before stretching her arms over her head and standing up, leaning onto the railings of the rooftop to get a better view of the humans passing by below. “I’ll just stay here for a bit more then head back and rest.”

“You know, a part of me doubted you actually had an actual place to live in with how you’re always here.”

With her brow raised, she turned to face the Reaper that was slowly walking away, hearing the playful tone in her voice. “Care to elaborate on that?”

The Reaper turned on her heel and shrugged before pocketing her hands, and playfully walking back towards the door. “You’re here when I arrive, and you’re still here when I leave.”

Youngeun immediately took in a deep inhale- her memory of the last few days they spent together in the human world flashing in her head as she heard those words. Brushing it behind her mind as she playfully waved the other Reaper away.

“This was my spot before you started visiting here. I should complain that you’re trespassing.”

She saw Chaehyun playfully stick her tongue out before turning around once more, hand on the doorknob, and about to leave the building before suddenly speaking up once again. “Hey, Yoeun?”

Trying her best to resist the wince that was the automatic response, she turned to face the Reaper and hummed in acknowledgment, wondering what else the Reaper had to say before leaving.

“You want to know another reason why I don’t regret being a reaper?”

“The longer you stall, the more you’re making your friends wait. Or the more I feel like you just want my company.”

“As I was trying to say.” Youngeun watched as the other rolled her eyes before chuckling slightly and looking right at her, eyes locking with hers. “If I wasn’t a Reaper, I wouldn’t have been able to have met you. So I’m glad I’m getting to know you Yoeun.”

Frozen in her spot, Youngeun could simply watch as Chaehyun then left the rooftop, closing the door behind her. It was then that Youngeun noticed, despite the distance she had from the other Reaper now, there was still the pain in her chest as the words rang through her ears, with a sad smile on her face and a single tear falling from her eyes, she laughed at the ironic similarities between her memories and the encounter that just passed had.

“I’m glad to be able to get to know you again too, Hyun.”