I Plead for the Fifth

For once at the end of the week Kyungsoo was the first one at the pizza parlor, but he wasn't just waiting on Chanyeol this time. As he waited he was staring at his tablet where his cases were ready to be passed along, all five of them. The bell over the door rang signaling new arrivals, which Kyungsoo glanced over his shoulder to see a confused Chanyeol and a solemn Suho walking towards the usual table.

“Why is Suho here?” Chanyeol inquired as they took the two seats across from Kyungsoo.

“He said it was important,” Suho said to the Grim while pointing to the Assessor.

Kyungsoo said nothing as he tapped at his tablet sending out the cases to who he believed deserved them. The Grim and Reaper both made faces as they pulled out their own devices, Suho looking extremely concerned. His brows furrowed as he glanced away from his tablet to Kyungsoo who was stoically silent.

“What's going on?” Chanyeol asked. His gaze flickering from his boss to his new partner. “I only got four cases.”

“I got the fifth,” Suho stated. He sat his tablet on the table, black eyes solely focused on Kyungsoo who had done the same with his device. “Kyungsoo, is this for real?”

He nodded.

“Humans can't,” Suho began quickly.

“She's hardly human anymore,” Kyungsoo interrupted with a matter-of-factual tone. “It's all in that file Boss.”

“What?” Chanyeol asked at a loss. “What are you two going on about?”

“Kyungsoo has written up a plea for the soul of Kim Hyeyeong to be granted entrance to the academy to be trained as an Assessor,” Suho stated.

Chanyeol gaped, unsure who to stare at as his mouth hung open.

“Hell is too harsh for this soul, the Underworld a waste of her ability and reincarnation far too cruel. Giving her a chance in the Dark Realm as a fellow death bringer is the fairest judgment I could come up with, and it is the one I stick by,” he explained with the utmost confidence in his voice.

Chanyeol slumped back in his seat still awestruck, while Suho pinched the bridge of his nose like he was trying to fight off an oncoming headache.

In their silence the bell over the front door rang again at the arrival of a new customer, or so Kyungsoo had figured. The new arrival stopped at their table gaining the three's attention and now it was Kyungsoo who gaped in shock. It was Hyeyeong though the busted bottom lip, swollen black right eye and blood crusted nose made it hard to tell at first glance. After the initial shock Kyungsoo only felt anger and sympathy.

“Suho?” Hyeyeong frantically asked the Reaper before her.

“Ah, yes,” he nodded taken aback. His gaze raked over Hyeyeong as a stressful line appeared between his brows, while Kyungsoo struggled with his rising temper. Daehyun was scum.

Bowing at a perfect ninety degree angle even though she was wobbly on her legs Hyeyeong begged the Reaper. “Please do not listen to Kyungsoo. I know this is your work and I should mind my own business, but I can't let the same thing happen twice.”

“Hyeyeong?” Suho guessed.

Standing up straight with an unbalanced step to the side the girl nodded, her hair a tangled and wild mess about her beaten face. She folded her hands in front of her like she was addressing an elder as she bowed her head in the same fashion, showing as much respect as she could despite making a request of him.

“Sir, please reject what Kyungsoo has sent you and have the file say Underworld. Both Luhan and Kyungsoo had originally had that written in my file before a mess was made,” she pleaded desperately.

“How do you know that?” Suho questioned.

Hyeyeong tentatively touched the side of her left eye, hand shaking a little more than usual. “Um, Luhan did something before he turned himself in,” was all she said.

“The Curse of Graeae,” Kyungsoo stated between gritted teeth. Why was she interfering with his attempt at helping her? His plea was well constructed and honest, the Council would be fools to turn him down just because she was human.

“,” Chanyeol whistled.

“I see,” Suho muttered.

“Hyeyeong you shouldn't be here,” Kyungsoo said firmly.

The girl looked away from Suho and towards Kyungsoo so quickly and directly the man nearly jumpe