The heavy sound of dragging bounced eerily against the hollowness of the warehouse.
This was the eighth kill of the month, two each week. 
His adamantly dirty hand wiped the trickle of sweat along the side of his forehead. It was the type of dirty whatever kind of water would not be able to cleanse for each fingertip, each cell in his hands were wrapped in the perpetual ugly mark of murder.

"Any minute now.." His hands shook feverishly in euphoric excitement.

For a second, the lights had flickered and for another second, everything was replaced with a darkness of sort, as one would describe a room of vantablack. But it wasn't because the lights had gone off completely, it was because he had made his entrance.

"Oh god, not you again.."

That sweet voice. Any soul would eagerly discard itself from its vessel just to get near the source of such melody.

"Do you usually greet serial killers like that?" Daehyun tried to play it cool despite internally melting under the watch of those beautifully crafted almond eyes. Sharp as they were, they seemed softer than the loveliest of fluff toys one could ever imagine.

"No. You're the only slayer capable of seeing me in a long run. And most of the ones that did see me, always pissed away in fear whenever I'm around."

Daehyun felt most honored (and relieved) he was the first one to actually hold his hand up for him.

"So-"

"Hold that thought."

Suddenly, a translucent image came right out the corpse he had previously dragged around.

"W-Where am I? W-Who are you?"

A soul. It always gets Daehyun how curious they'd be every time they left their body.
This one in particular was already an asker to begin with.
With constant "Why are you doing this?"s and "Can you please spare me?"s every time he attempted to blow a strike.
Well, a human being was always curious, and Daehyun guessed that's what made them human. It just irks him how they'd bring their curiosity along even after the intercision of their physical and spiritual aspects.

"I'm Youngjae, but among you, I am referred to as Death."

The soul shook wearily and lifted a finger up itself.

"I-I'm dead?"

"Well, yeah. And you've got no time to spare. You've no business here anymore."

The soul had surprisingly payed no heed to Daehyun and proceeded to blurt out even more questions.

"Where will I go from here on? Will I go to heaven or hell, the underworld? Are they even real?"

"Those questions aren't for me to answer. What I ask simply, is for you to touch my cloak and sooner or later you will find satisfaction in place of your curiosity."

After doing as told, the once life sized image of translucency became but a hovering ball of light on Youngjae's palm. This was the time the term 'soul' would fit them best as those prior actually were more of ghosts than actual souls.
Ghosts were the ones Death had forgotten to touch and they'd roam around the realm of the living, wandering about in full-on curiosity. Some create mischief and some merely mope in confusion until Death would eventually show up and fetch them.

One clench of his fist, and poof. The soul was nowhere in sight.

"Now, back to you. What's with all these killings, dude? You're making my job way harder than it's layed out. Do you have any idea how tiring it is to teleport from one place to another and how I've been here, THE EXACT SAME PLACE, EIGHT TIMES IN A SPAN OF ONLY ONE MONTH?!"

Daehyun didn't want to tell him he'd killed so he could have another glimpse of him. Nor did he want to tell him it was because he seeked fun, and taking lives gave him the satisfaction of just that.
This was the first outburst Daehyun had heard from him too. Other times, Death would only stop by to collect the souls and leave immediately after.

But he isn't leaving now, Daehyun thought as a smile crept to his face.

Course, it did take awhile for Death to realize Daehyun could see him. That explains why he hadn't talked.

"You're cute when you're all mad like that."

Daehyun cursed his mouth for letting that carelessly flow out but a tinge of sweet pride swelled in his chest, seeing a purple blush creep its way to Death's queerly well rounded cheeks.

He heard him let out a cough.

"I-I.. M-My name is Daehyun."

"I know."

Daehyun's eyes widened in astonishment.
"How-"

"I was there when my sister, Youngji or Life birthed you. And even if I wasn't, I'd still know. Like how I know the guy you just killed was named Moon Jongup. And the previous seven; Seokjin, the one you killed accidentally, then came Namjoon, Byunhee, Seulgi, Minji, Hyujung and Jiseok, respectively. Bet you didn't know that, did you?"

"No.." 
Daehyun was rendered at loss of words.

"Why are you doing all this anyway? I'm not asking because I'm tired of coming all the way here this time. I'm asking because I want to know. Why are you taking their lives away? Do you know how hard my sister works just so she could give a soul another vessel for them to continue living in after judgement? And do you know how it to be the one giving her more work?
You don't know. But here you are adding up more work for the both of us all willy nilly just like that."

Daehyun felt like a child chided by a parent. He didn't feel guilty about the kills, more so now that he's heard they'd be living-on in another life, but he did feel guilty about adding down more weight into the entity's already sore back.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware it worked like that."
He bowed his head for a little respect.

"A'course you aren't. Now tell me the truth. Why are you killing people two times a week?"

Daehyun decided to just screw it. He'd say it now because waiting to say it for another kill would agitate Death even more.

He took in a heavy puff of air.
"I killed so I could see you."

He closed his eyes, waiting for a laugh of sort. For a sound of mockery, or perhaps a spit even. Because how can a mere mortal like himself sought out and hope for something as magnificently grand as Death's heart? It's most hilarious in the worst way possible.

But he didn't get a laugh. Nor a snort. Nor any of that sort.

He got a soft smile.

He didn't know what it meant. And he couldn't interpret it because Death was just so unpredictable. And he had dangerously little knowledge of him.

"I see. My sister was right. Well okay then. I'll do what she's told. Let's have a talk."

Daehyun gulped nervously. It's funny how for the past month he'd killed eight times just to see Death but now he would have liked if he weren't here as of the moment. He was sweating like a dog under the sun.

"I'd love to.. but err- don't you have somewhere else to be? You're a busy entity, aren't you?"

Youngjae laughed softly. It was more like a chuckle actually but Daehyun couldn't differentiate things for his brain had somehow got itself in a state of temporary shut down because that laugh was just so angelic, he could bawl his eyes out.

"It wouldn't hurt to stay a bit longer.. It's not everyday someone who isn't dead sees me.. and besides, I've got an army of helpers all around the world. You don't expect I do all my work alone, do you?"

"Really? How many?"

Youngjae pondered a bit, making a counting gesture with his fingers.

"Hmmn.. let's see.. There's Jaebum, Himchan and Oh! Junhong! I've got three helpers!"

Daehyun snorted. "You call that an army?"

Youngjae crossed his hands confidently.
"My helpers have helpers for their own. And their helpers have helpers for their own as well, as do the helpers of the helpers of my helpers, and so it goes on. And on top of that, I have control over all the helpers out there. But I like managing small numbers so those three equate directly on my accord as MY own helpers."

Daehyun nodded in half defeat.
"How do you acquire a helper anyway?" He knew they couldn't have been birthed with him because that would mean all would have same rights and titles as Death and that wasn't the case.

Youngjae gave out a smirk. 
"It's confidential."

Minutes ticked by from their chatter and Daehyun was beginning to feel as though he really had a chance. As hopeful and lovely as that sounded, it was horrible. 
He knew if he started thinking that, he'd start to expect as well and when it wouldn't go as he wanted, he'd feel all crap.

But how often can a person feel like they've got a chance with Death?

Not so.

"My sister once fell in love with a mortal. It was the first soul she made a vessel for. The soul that came with us as we were birthed."

Daehyun was all ears.

"It couldn't work out for she was Life. She needed the love for her creations. Making a vessel isn't that easy, you know. The facts made my sister mope for many years. But she eventually found solace in creating vessels for souls with love. Life is a beautiful thing, and love is just as beautiful so it made sense how those two intertwined."

Daehyun hesitated for a bit, fidgeting under Youngjae's expectant watch for a reply.

"H-How does love and death intertwine? I-I mean death is beautiful too."

"It isn't. I'm not. You've got it all wrong. You say death is beautiful because you think that it's a chance to leave your old ways and continue in a fresher path. It isn't. That is still life's doing. Life gives you a chance whilst death takes it. If you broke the process down brick by brick, you'll find the differences between our individuality more prominent."

Daehyun crept just a little closer but he knew Youngjae wouldn't think much of it.

" No. I think Death is beautiful because you're beautiful."

Youngjae merely gave him an eyeroll. "How shallow of you to think that. This physical form is all you're after, isn't it? You're not looking at what I do."

Daehyun gave a lopsided smile in return. "Wrong again. When I say you're beautiful, I really mean you. Not just what you look like, but what you are and what you do. You wouldn't think I'd be as cliche as those stereotyped to think someone's beautiful simply by looking at them after I've killed eight people, now, would you? I find joy in killing and I found love in you, the greatest taker of life."

Youngjae stared at him long and it made him feel even more nervous than before. He didn't know if he'd be angry or glad or whatever. And that sense of uncertainty took a very huge toll on his composture.
He couldn't bear that stare. It felt like it was harvesting his soul or something. It felt bold and resolute but also reluctant and questioning. It was so unbearably threatening that he just felt the need to clarify himself, lest Youngjae didn't understand.

"D-Don't you get it? I love you! I love Death!"

He'd expect him to gasp or perhaps jolt away but what Death displayed in front of him wasn't in any of his expectations at all.
He'd showcased the widest menacing grin Daehyun's ever seen in all his life.

"For life, love plays a big part in creation. For me, it serves another purpose."

He grabbed Daehyun's hand and Daehyun could only wince at the sudden contact with extreme coldness.

"You asked how I acquired helpers, right? I'll tell you."

Daehyun tried to reflect the now bold and sure stare but his uncertainty broke down his attempt.

"H-How?"

The next thing he knew, everything had revolted back to what it was earlier, vantablack painting the walls as if no light had ever entered for decades.

"They fell in love with me. With Death."

And the room was empty.