When a soul's time draws to a close, the afterlife sends a herald.

Golden bells, tied together by a white ribbon, appear to the soul.

It was the first day of winter break. Youngmin was completely wrapped up in blankets and comfortably sitting on the sofa in the living room. His hands stuck out from beneath the numerous folds of his yellow comforter and Kwangmin’s Pikachu quilt, awkwardly holding a book that he borrowed from the library two weeks ago and wanted to finish before it was time to return it.

Every turn of a page cut through the silence of the empty house. Youngmin’s parents were at work and weren’t going to be home for another two hours. Hyunmin was at a friend’s house for a sleepover, and Kwangmin had run to the grocery store to buy snacks.

Speaking of Kwangmin, a jingling sound from the front door told Youngmin that his twin brother had returned from the store. The front door opened and shut as Kwangmin entered the house, carrying two plastic bags of chips and juice boxes. His eyes fell on the cozy cocoon Youngmin had made for himself on the couch, and the younger twin made a sound of annoyance.

“How come you get to stay warm at home while I go buy snacks in the freezing weather?” While the question expressed indignation, a grin rested across Kwangmin’s cheeks as he surveyed his brother’s funny position.

“You volunteered to go,” Youngmin reminded Kwangmin with amusement. He lowered his book and eyed the bags. “Are those chips? What flavor?”

“Crab chips,” Kwangmin replied as he carried the groceries into the kitchen, “And banana juice.” He began putting the snacks into the cupboards but paused and pulled something else out of a bag. The object in his hand clinked as he scampered to where Youngmin lied on the sofa and held it in front of Youngmin’s face.

Youngmin blinked in surprise at the golden bells dangling before his nose. He sat up a little straighter and took the bells from Kwangmin. “Where did you get these?”

“I found them on our front lawn in the snow,” Kwangmin said, “Aren’t they pretty?”

Youngmin held the bells by the white ribbon that tied them together and gave them a little shake. The bells gave off a fragile ringing sound before falling silent again. Youngmin had to admit that the bells were indeed pretty, and the light chiming it produced was calming.

“Let’s go hang the bells on the front porch, Youngminnie.” Kwangmin was practically bouncing with excitement. “Our porch looks pretty boring with no decorations. These bells can be the first!” He began tugging at the blankets, trying to get Youngmin to get off the sofa.

“Ah, okay. I’m getting up!” Youngmin rolled off the furniture and wriggled his way out of the blanket cocoon. He tossed the discarded comforters onto the sofa and followed Kwangmin outside.

A cold breeze greeted him the moment he stepped out the front door. Youngmin shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. “Hang them quickly. It’s cold out here,” he urged Kwangmin, who had taken the bells and was reaching up to tie them to a small hook that protruded from the column.

It took several seconds, but Kwangmin managed to secure the bells at last, giving them a small tug to make sure the knot wouldn’t come loose. The bells tinkled merrily when Kwangmin let go, glinting in front of the snow-white background.

The twins stared at them for a while longer before Youngmin gave Kwangmin a nudge. “Inside.” They swiftly headed back into the house, rubbing their cold hands together in an effort to regain some warmth.