His gaze is fixated, one eye shut tight and the other one staring through the viewfinder, a warm finger ready to snap a photo. There it is; the perfect focus, lighting and the object. Chansung presses the button and the sound of the shutter confirms that the photo has just been captured. A quiet moment caught in a digital form. He sighs as he pulls the camera away from his face and checks the LCD monitor, curious to see the outcome.

Nothing, or no one, unusual.

Just people rushing through the street, a lonesome crow waiting for them to disappear so it could inspect the garbage bin in peace. Chansung's a bit disappointed. It's been a while since he has caught someone special on his camera. Ghosts do not count; they're pretty boring and Chansung can’t communicate with them because they don’t have a physical body.

Ever since Chansung became beware of his special ability, he couldn’t understand if it was a good or a bad thing. He doesn't know how or why he got it, but he's been keeping it a secret for years. Even when he became a photographer, he was hoping he'd meet someone with the same abilities, but soon he understood it wasn't going to happen. His parents weren't wizards or witches, he was born into an ordinary family and he was supposed to be an ordinary boy. However, he wasn't.

Knowing that this little device could help him differentiate between humans and supernatural creatures made him feel somewhat special. It was his secret he wasn't going to share it with anyone. Unless it was someone special as well. Like that sly cupid lurking behind his back.

"I swear if you're going to shoot me with one of your nasty arrows, you will lose your only human friend, Minjun." The photographer threats jokingly.

"You know I won't do that. You have trust issues." He chuckles and moves to Chansung's right.

"I mean, I wouldn't have them if I didn't see you being all evil when you decide to shoot someone who's clearly not looking for love at the moment." Chansung looks at Minjun's profile. "For a cupid you sure are way too cunning."

"Aw, come on." He glances at the taller male. "I'm not that fat, half- baby with hearts for eyes stereotypical cupid."

"No ."

"You know, if you were in my shoes you'd lose the joy of life as well. I have to spice it up somehow." He nudges Chansung and moves forward. "You don't need my arrows. You're better than that." Minjun winks at him and walks away casually, looking for more victims.

Chansung exhales, shaking his head. Is that cupid himself even capable of love?

-

The tires of his bicycle squeal sharply as Chansung almost bumps into a person who's too busy looking somewhere else. "Tch..." Chansung scoffs, but he gets ignored. His eyes follow the daydreamer and he notices a commotion ahead, a small crowd gathered around something on the street. Chansung gets off his bicycle and pushes it alongside.

There's a damaged bus and a motorcycle in the middle of the street. Chansung sees shards of glass, a wrecked helmet and a pool of blood beside it. His insides shrivel up at the view as he realises – the motorcycle owner probably won't make it back home today. Chansung tries to be as discreet as possible when he fishes his camera out of his bag and snaps a quick photo of the scene. He stares at the LCD monitor and sighs, feeling sorry for the ghost in his photo.

Suddenly, Chansung furrows his eyebrows as he notices someone else in the photo. That slight glow behind the bus can mean only one thing – there must be a supernatural creature around here, but the bus blocks him. Chansung pushes his bicycle, looking for that someone, but no one pays attention to him, and seconds later he stops. A dark-haired man stares at everything nonchalantly, as if it doesn't concern him at all. Nevertheless, Chansung has a feeling it's the contrary.

His skilful hands place the camera in front of his eyes and his finger lands on the shutter release button to finish this quick action. Just when he thinks he's done, Chansung's body experiences a massive flood of goosebumps as at the exact moment the stranger glances at him with a faint hint of suspicion in his eyes, pointing his finger right at the photographer.

"." Chansung mumbles and turns around quickly; somehow feeling like it was a mistake to take a photo of that person whoever he might be. He definitely had a different aura. He takes a quick peek at the picture and sees a familiar glow around the stranger. That's how Chansung is able to differentiate. Supernatural creatures emit some sort of vital energy, visible only to the photo camera and Chansung's eyes.

The photographer stops to catch a breath, hiding behind a huge movie advertisement.

"You noticed me. Who are you?" An unexpected voice catches Chansung by surprise as he almost drops the camera out of his hands, his blood shooting right into his facial vessels. The stranger smiles faintly at Chansung's reaction, his smart eyes never leaving the human's face. "It seems like I startled you. Sorry."

"I'm fine." Chansung lies, doing his best to make himself look (and feel) calm. "I'm Chansung. Just an ordinary human being." He notices himself how robotic that sounds.

"Not that ordinary if you can notice me." He takes a step closer, still inspecting Chansung's face. "You know how it is – supernatural creatures can be seen, but they are never noticed by an ordinary human being. We exist and we don't." The stranger pulls away slightly. "But you're not a supernatural creature. So, what are you?"

"Is it really that rare for a human to be able to differentiate between the two species?" Chansung's genuinely interested in the answer. There should be more people like him, shouldn't it?

"Not that I know of. You're my first. Maybe there are more, but not in this country." It upsets Chansung a little.

"So, what are you?" The stranger smiles at his question, glancing away for a brief moment.

"Unavoidable."

"Huh?"

"What's unavoidable in every human's life?" He grins at Chansung's puzzled expression, giving him enough time to digest the question.

Unavoidable... Human life... Motorcyclist's ghost...

Chansung stiffens as his eyes bore into the ones before him. "Death."

"You can call me Wooyoung though," he turns around and walks away slowly, his white sweater hugging his firm frame cosily. Wooyoung glances back at him and waves his hand slightly. "I'll see you around, Chansung. Not for death business."

"Thanks, that gives me hope." Chansung whispers, still hardly believing he has just met the Death himself. It’s not what he expected, but he is not disappointed. That supernatural creature sure is interesting, but who dares to befriend Death?

-

The concept of being seen, but not noticed has been bothering Chansung for years. And yet, even without the camera and if it's not a ghost, Chansung somehow always guesses right. When he picks up his camera all his speculations get confirmed.

"It's weird I can see things only when I stare at the camera monitor or a photo," he looks at Minjun, sitting across from him behind the table, looking at nothing in particular. "Other people can see you, but they can't notice you. What's up with that?" Minjun smiles faintly as his eyes find Chansung's.

"Think about it like that," Minjun suddenly moves forward and pulls on Chansung's nose quickly.

"Ouch, what the hell?" The photographer rubs his abused nose, while Minjun just shrugs innocently.

"You’ve noticed your nose only now, right? Human eyes always see the nose, but the brain chooses to ignore it. It's pretty much the same with us. We are here, but we are not."

"I'd say that's very convenient."

"Yeah. However, sometimes you wish it wouldn't be like that..." Minjun's face clouds up slightly, a pretty rare sight for Chansung who's used to the playful cupid. Probably everyone has his own worries, even if they're not humans.

"Why..?"

"Because sometimes you want to talk to a human being, but they don't see you. Ever." Chansung feels like he stepped into the shouldn't-have-asked-this zone, because Minjun's face looks extra gloomy now. The photographer looks down and it dawns on him that he's probably the only human this cupid is able to talk to. Being just a spectator isn't always funny. Everyone wants a response, human or not.

-

It's already dark when Chansung leaves the photo studio, done with a photo shoot for some new girl group. He notices an ambulance near the park and wonders if the Death guy is responsible for this one too. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't seen him since their first meeting. It's been almost a week. It bothers Chansung slightly because he expected to meet Wooyoung sooner. Perhaps the latter is too busy looking for victims.

Chansung pulls out his Canon and snaps a picture of a loud couple, enjoying themselves as if they were the only people in the world. Chansung frowns and deletes the photo. It doesn't sit right with him that well this evening. Perhaps those chirpy girls drained too much energy tonight. He stops by a vending machine and buys a chocolate bar. Maybe that will restore his energy till he gets home.

"You look tired." A familiar voice comes from behind and Chansung turns around swiftly.

"Oh, it's you. I thought you forgot about me." Wooyoung grins at his remark.

"The only human I can talk to? Oh no, on the contrary." Silence falls between them.

"Do you want some chocolate?" Chansung inquires, realising it must be a dumb thing to offer to someone who's most likely immortal. Despite that, Wooyoung's light chuckle relieves his worries.

"Thanks, but I'll have to refuse."

"Immortal, huh?"

"Not quite..." Wooyoung's expression turns somewhat mischievous.

"How come? If you're Death, you should be immortal, no?"

Wooyoung knits his eyebrows slightly. "Come, let's walk." Chansung gets closer, but Wooyoung steps aside, leaving a decent amount of space between them.

"Do I smell?" Chansung asks, slightly offended.

"I don't want to kill my only human companion." Wooyoung notices Chansung's puzzled expression as they move forward. "It's my touch that settles it all. One touch and you're gone."

"That's... extreme." Chansung munches on his chocolate, thinking it must a lot to be untouchable. "Does it work on supernaturals too?"

"Yes."

"So, once you touch someone, they fall dead?" Wooyoung's amused laugh makes Chansung avert his eyes from the chocolate to him.

"Not necessarily. It's different for every person. Sometimes it takes a minute, sometimes an hour. Is that chocolate good?" Wooyoung leans towards it for a short moment.

Chansung raises his eyebrow. "Pretty good, a bit too sweet, but I like sweet things. Are you sure you can't try it?"

"Unfortunately."

"But you still need to do something to survive, no?" Chansung continues his interrogation.

Wooyoung stops with his hands behind his back and leans in a bit. "Chansung, I bring death. I survive on it. The energy I drain from people is what keeps me alive."

Suddenly the chocolate doesn't taste so good anymore as he realises Wooyoung's existence means someone else's death. Literally. It's his food, his essence. There's nothing sweet or romantic about it. It's just a cruel reality people and Wooyoung have to deal with on a daily basis. One's fortune is another's misfortune.

"Isn't it... A bit too much to handle...?" Chansung inquires carefully, not knowing how far he can go with his curiosity. Wooyoung doesn’t look offended though, and that’s a relief.

"I don't have a choice. There's nothing I can do about it." Wooyoung starts walking. "Not what you expected, right? You probably thought I love my... job."

Chansung catches up with him. "I was expecting someone more cold-hearted. A cape and a scythe." Wooyoung chuckles.

"Maybe other Death folks still hold onto that old fashion."

"There's more?" Chansung almost chokes on the last bite of his chocolate.

"Of course. I wouldn't be able to teleport myself around the world that quickly even though I can stop time. There are just too many people in this world. We are divided into several districts."

"Wow..." An ambulance drives past them, loud sirens warning everyone to keep their distance. "I don't want to sound insensitive, but... Can you change who you are?"

Wooyoung thinks hard for a moment as Chansung crumples the paper inside his jacket pocket. "Not that I know of. No." Wooyoung says finally. "Does that make you want to stop communicating with me?"

Maybe Chansung's wrong, but he thinks he saw a hint of vulnerability behind that indifferent face. Minjun's words resonate in his mind, reminding him how dull supernatural lives must be when they can't have a direct contact with human beings. They live in their own world and dimension, while being completely ignored by ordinary humans. You can tamper with their lives, but that's about it. No direct response.

"No." Chansung replies firmly and barely refrains from touching Wooyoung, who doesn't look threatening at all.

-

At first Wooyoung doesn't try to intrude Chansung's privacy that often, but by the end of autumn their meetings become very frequent. For a supposedly gloomy creature, Wooyoung seems to be happier each time they talk. Soon Chansung learns that Wooyoung doesn't really have the chance to talk even to the supernatural creatures because they are simply afraid of him. This insight makes Chansung feel somewhat special, and it's not an egoistic feeling. He honestly likes Wooyoung and the insight they share about each other's worlds, which makes their friendship grow stronger each day.

Chansung kneels to tighten up his shoelace, when a pair of feet appears in front of him. He lifts his head and to his surprise he sees Minjun, arms crossed over his chest, but his face looks gentle compared to his firm stance. "I haven't seen you in a few weeks. Where have you been?" Chansung stands up.

"Oh, you missed me?" He playfully raises an eyebrow.

"Of course. Who wouldn't miss a friend?" Minjun's face couldn't possibly look even tenderer, but it does and Chansung smiles at him. Pain in the or not, this cupid is a good friend, rarely showcasing his real emotions like now.

"So... As a friend..." Minjun looks around nervously. "I saw you chatting with him. The Death dude."

"Yeah? Is that the reason you've been avoiding me?"

"Perceptive." Minjun winks at him and runs his fingers through his messy hair. "No one really wants to... collide with him. He's dangerous."

"So, have you ever talked to him?"

"No."

"Then how can you say he's dangerous? He seems pretty friendly to me. He even warned me about not touching him."

"That's what peaks my curiosity here. That guy usually doesn't play around. He needs energy to survive."

Chansung frowns a little. "Perhaps he had a change of heart."

"Heart?" Minjun chuckles. "That would be interesting."

"What do you mean?" Chansung doesn't really like being teased, unfortunately, that's what the cupid is professional at.

"Oh, never mind... Just ranting..." Minjun turns around and is about to leave Chansung, when the latter catches him at the arm. Minjun looks back at him, fake innocence decorating his face.

"Don't leave me hanging." He demands desperately.

"Chansung, I don't need to explain anything to you. Sooner or later, you will understand." Minjun faces him and point his slim finger at the photographer's heart. "Sometimes, it comes alive." And just like that, the cupid disappears.

Chansung probably won't speak about this to Wooyoung. His fast heartbeat agrees with him.

-

It wasn't planned. It was just a stupid idea that was hanging on the edge of Chansung's tongue. And yet, they are sitting in a cinema. Apparently, Wooyoung haven't had a chance to see a movie yet. It's a sci-fi movie, should be interesting, but Chansung's feeling all jittery with Wooyoung sitting beside him, albeit leaning away from Chansung. Just in case.

"It's impressive," Wooyoung notes, drawing Chansung's attention back to the movie.

"It is." The photographer agrees and keeps stealing glances at Wooyoung's expressions throughout the movie. The more they spend time together, Chansung has a feeling they're missing something very important. The simple ability to touch each other's skin that a lot of people don’t even think of as something unique is a different story when it comes to Wooyoung. It's like a forbidden fruit for both of them. The thought sinks deeper and deeper each time Chansung's nostrils are filled with Wooyoung's indescribable scent, making him feel relaxed and tensed at the same time.

The photographer sighs deep in thought, and only Wooyoung's voice make it clear that the movie has ended. "Chansung?"

"Sorry. Let's go."

They leave the building and Chansung excuses himself for a moment, answering a call from a client. He makes an appointment and when he's back, Chansung sees Wooyoung stretching slightly. It comes to him automatically as he grabs the photo camera and snaps a quick picture with Wooyoung stretching his arms up, eyes closed and looking completely serene during the action. It becomes apparent that Wooyoung actually looks tired and a bit less energetic than usual.

"Can you show it to me?" Wooyoung somehow notices it's him on the LCD screen and Chansung shows it to him. "You're a really good photographer." He says sincerely.

"No, the subject in front of the camera is good, so..." Wooyoung grins at him, accepting the compliment. "Wooyoung?"

"Yes?"

"You look tired. Maybe we're spending too much time together, so you can't..." Chansung doesn't finish his sentence as Wooyoung catches the drift, looking away immediately.

"It's okay." He says quietly and Chansung isn't convinced by that tone.

"It isn't though... I don't want you to sacrifice yourself just so that you could watch a movie with me or do something else that takes a lot of time."

"But I want to." Wooyoung deadpans, staring straight into Chansung's soul and it's the first time he looks so convincing. "Unless you have more important things to do, then, of course..." He adds, after thinking a little during that short silent moment.

"No, not at all. I love spending time with you." Chansung says and Wooyoung's expression changes immediately, and the photographer realises that maybe he said too much because he can't tell what's hiding behind that poker face anymore. "So, yeah, I think I'll go to the bus stop now..."

"I'll tag along."

"Sure." Chansung smiles as they move towards the bus stop. They don't speak though, Wooyoung's deep in thought and Chansung doesn't want to pry. Walking together is just fine.

It doesn't take long to get there and the photographer decides to check the schedule, to see when the bus arrives, while Wooyoung leans on the glass booth on the other side, still out of this world.

A crazy idea pops into Chansung's mind when he sees Wooyoung's palm pressed against the glass, and Chansung takes a step closer, placing his palm right at the exact spot, separated by the glass wall. Wooyoung's head turns instantly towards Chansung, shocked face staring right at their hands separated by the cold material. Then his eyes meet Chansung's as he swallows down his worries, feeling the glass getting warmer, but nothing bad happening that would be the sign of Chansung's energy being drained. It's working. No direct contact. Just their warmth penetrating through the glossy material, bringing them closer than ever.

Chansung gets more courageous as his other palm touches the glass and Wooyoung repeats the action, his moves still careful. Chansung's smile encourages him. The taller male presses his forehead to the glass and Wooyoung's hesitating, but Chansung's eyes are so inviting, he surrenders and does the same. Ridiculous distance separate their bodies and Wooyoung looks like he's about to pass out from whatever is happening inside him, disbelief still pestering his thoughts.

"It was the worst thing you could do to me." Wooyoung whispers, but Chansung hears it. "What in the world made you try this..?"

"You tell me." Chansung says and closes his eyes, enjoying the warm glass. Soon warmth is replaced by cold and when he opens his eyes, he's all by himself.

-

Chansung starts to think that perhaps he was too daring and that's the reason Wooyoung's been away for a few days now. Daring Death probably is stupid. Even though Wooyoung looks like a regular person, Chansung tends to forget he's more than that. He has duties, he must sustain his energy by taking away someone else's life and clearly, Wooyoung's energy level seemed to be decreasing. Chansung couldn't help but feel guilty and responsible for that. He knows he's like a lantern for insects. He attracts supernatural creatures because he's the link connecting both dimensions. If he initiates contact, he always gets a response. Right now he is missing that.

"Something tells me you're slightly desperate." Minjun once again appears out of nowhere, joining Chansung at the cafeteria table.

"Cut it out..." The photographer's not in the mood for teasing.

"I saw him." Minjun smiles at the way Chansung looks up at him. It's always those huge Bambi eyes that make the cupid become less devious towards his human friend. "By the way, I didn't use my arrows on you or anything, before you start blaming me."

"I know it wasn't you."

"Really? How?" Minjun's genuinely surprised.

"Because what’s happening between me and him didn't come instantly. Also, you told me to trust you."

Minjun's face is decorated with a warm smile and he leans in as if to tell a secret. "Bookshop alley, one block away from here."

"Thank you." Chansung says and hurries towards the location.

"Don't thank me..." The cupid replies belatedly, when Chansung's out of his sight.

-

Chansung's stamina isn't the best when it comes to running, but he exceeds his capacity this time. He sees the bookshop and looks around fervently, wishing to notice the person in question quickly. Somehow his eyes follow a mother and her little daughter, walking out of the bookshop. There is a tiny paper bag in her hands, decorated with a birthday cake and it's easy to assume she got a book for her birthday. The girl looks about 9 years old and her mother is glowing with joy and pride as she ruffles her hair playfully.

They pass the pedestrian crossing and stop by a shop window, marvelling at little birds' sculptures. Chansung's heart falls when he finally notices Wooyoung approaching the happy couple and his feet can't seem to move for some reason. All he's capable of is just staring. He sees how Wooyoung touches the little girl's cheek from behind and she shudders, making her mother ask if she's fine. She nods, but seconds later there's something that draws her attention on the other side of the street and she runs without looking around, straight into Death’s embrace as an approaching car can't stop on time and her little body is hit by cold iron.

Chansung wishes he could erase that visual from his memory. There's a commotion in the street, loud cries and sobbing of the mother viciously clenching at his heart.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this." Wooyoung's cold voice greets him unexpectedly, and Chansung now understands it.

"You did this on purpose." He can't hide his disappointment. Wooyoung could’ve chosen someone old or a criminal, but he chose someone who had a lot of energy and a whole life ahead.

"This is who I am, no matter what kind of image you have created about me in your mind." Wooyoung looks away at the commotion as Chansung stares at him, hardly believing this is happening for real. Wooyoung's rejecting him. And he's doing it in a very brutal way. However, Chansung knows what it's all about. Wooyoung can lie to himself for another eternity, but Chansung doesn't have that much time. He dares the Death again.

"Oh... I see it now. The image I have of you is the one you always try to hide from others. You showed me your true colours, because I am different. You can deny it, because you're most likely not used to this, but I know what love is and I think you start realising it too. You're just afraid of it, because all you can do is just look at me from afar. You chose to do this little sick demonstration just to keep me away from you because you don't want me to die at your hands. You're playing it safe. You're so selfish and not at the same time..." Chansung shakes his head lightly. "Am I wrong?"

Wooyoung just keeps his silence; his expression still the one of disbelief as it was probably the biggest mental blow he has ever gotten during his dull existence. Whatever Chansung is, his perception is something of a supernatural origin. If someone is able to read you like a book, then maybe there's no point in trying to suppress it all? But how to avoid the sad part here? Wooyoung cannot keep playing with the glass, it might shatter one day.

"Honestly, I don't know how to make this work." He says defeated. "The only thing I'm capable of is killing and at some point I will want to touch you, to feel your skin. Hell, I want to do it now, but I can't. I'm a pathetic supernatural creature who fell in love with a human." He chuckles, but it sounds so desperate Chansung's heart melts in sorrow. "I don't want any of this..." Wooyoung motions towards the tragic scene on the street. "But I can't change anything." He looks so done and defeated it feels like someone is chopping Chansung's heart in pieces.

He realises how hard it is for Wooyoung now. Chansung also isn't able to do anything about it. That knowledge brings forth the worst feeling. There's another thought that tugs at Chansung's conscience. It's not going to work out, so, perhaps to avoid more damage...

There's no going back.

Chansung steps forward and cups Wooyoung's face, giving him the most loving kiss in his entire life. There are weird energy bolts dancing inside his blood vessels and all Chansung can feel is Wooyoung's lips on his, arms embracing him tightly, completely unable to let go of the human. That embrace is so magnetic there seems to be no way out of it. However, one of them has to find the strength.

“You idiot.” Wooyoung pulls away, panting harshly, and to Chansung’s surprise, Wooyoung’s the one who falls down on the pavement.

Chansung catches him and his mind is blown that he’s still alive and it’s Wooyoung who’s unconscious. “Hey, do you need an ambulance?” A passerby inquires concerned and Chansung just stares at her, then back at Wooyoung.

“What?” He mumbles still shocked.

“An ambulance, do you need it for your friend?” The woman inquires again as she clearly looks at Wooyoung in his arms.

“N-no... It’s okay. We’re fine.” Chansung says and the woman shrugs, leaving them alone.

She can see Wooyoung.

There’s more people staring at them and Chansung is now sure all of them can see Wooyoung. He looks down and slaps Wooyoung’s cheeks lightly. He must be alive.

Soon enough Wooyoung’s eyes open up and he looks just as shocked as Chansung. He moves up slowly with the photographer’s help and looks around as if to confirm his wild guesses. “I can’t believe it...” Wooyoung’s gaze returns to Chansung’s face. “But I’m human.”

“What? How?” Chansung yelps.

“I have no clue. All I know is that I’m a human now. I was stripped off my powers.” Wooyoung’s hand finds Chansung’s and he stares at their intertwined fingers. Chansung skin is so warm and comforting. Then, he remembers something. “When I out there was a voice telling me I did my duty well and deserved the feeling that purifies my soul. It told me I deserved love.”

“Well, let’s obey the voice then.” Chansung smiles and hugs Wooyoung, ignoring weird looks from strangers. It feels nice to finally be able to do that.

Later that night, Chansung finds out he lost his abilities to differentiate between the two worlds as well. The last thing he got from another dimension was a note from his friend he sure is going to miss seeing.

Love conquers it all. Be nice to each other and I won’t use my arrows on you~
Love, Minjun