now

Yong was deep in the middle of following a video tutorial for homemade gopchang when a blast of angelic light from above, miraculously shining through their ceiling, surrounded her.

HELLO YONGSUN , the Metatron said, toneless, emotionless, and filling every cavern of her mind. Yong froze, the sharp footfalls of petrichor at the back of made her swallow on reflex. She tried not to wince.

“Hello,” she said back, looking up. She felt her wings stretch out just so, feather tips brushing against the floor and the back of their sofa.

YOUR SISTER HAS A MESSAGE FOR YOU.

Yong let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she had been holding. “I’m happy to hear from her. I will accept the message.”

LITTLE YONG, I AM VISITING YOU NEXT WEEK. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU AND BYULIE AGAIN. MAKE SURE YOU INTRODUCE ME TO YOUR NEW ROOMMATES TOO. I WANT TO EAT THAT SPICY RICE THING YOU FED ME LAST TIME.

Her sister’s message, spoken in the Metatron’s voice almost made Yong laugh. Almost. She bit at the inside of her cheek, hard enough that if she had been a mortal, she probably could have drawn blood. When the voice stopped, Yong waited a few extra seconds, just to be polite, before she replied. “I’m glad to hear it,” she said, respectfully, bowing her head, “I look forward to my sister’s arrival.”

There was a long silence wherein Yong thought that surely, the Metatron must have left the conversation, except that the holy light still surrounded her. Their whole apartment smelled of ozone now, sharp and bitter. “Uhm,” she said, hesitant, “is there anything else?”

PLEASE INFORM YOUR SISTER, THAT THE METATRON IS NOT TO BE USED FOR TRIVIAL MESSAGES. THE METATRON IS FOR THE OFFICIAL MISSIVES OF HEAVEN.

Yongsun blushed, embarrassed, she bowed her head lower. “Yes, of course, I’m sorry. I’ll make sure she sends her messages to me a different way next time.”

GOOD. BLESSINGS BE UPON YOU KIM YONGSUN, ANGEL OF HEAVEN.

“And also with you,” Yong replied. When the celestial light vanished, as quick as flipping off a switch, it felt as if Yong’s mind had suddenly been emptied. Left alone with just her thoughts again. She waited a few more seconds, just to be sure, before collapsing back unto a dining table chair, suddenly exhausted.

When she had recovered from the experience, it was to the sudden realization that Heaven’s light had overcooked the gopchang meat and singed the floor in their kitchen. “Aish,” Yong shoved the dish aside, poking at the underseasoned, overcooked mess before deciding that she would cut her losses and just start again. Good thing Hyejin wasn’t due to wake up for another four hours.

then.

Before the first children of Earth had taken their fledgling steps under the sun, Yongsun was an angel in heaven, freshly born from the holy light. She first opened her eyes to a Principality, gazing down at her (or at least she assumed it was) through a mass of wings and eyes.

“Kim Yongsun, Angel in Heaven.” The Principality said, with an authority that surged through her veins, filling her with a rightness she couldn’t put into words. She was named.

“Hmm,” The Principality looked her over, thinking, “I have just the mentor for you.”

“Mentor?” She asked, following close as they walked through gilded white halls. All around them, the lilting tones of the angelic chorus filled Yongsun’s ears. 

“Yes,” The Principality said, almost perfunctory, “It’s a new system we’re trying out. To keep our angels from falling and becoming Demons of the Dark Prince. It’s been rather successful so far.” Yongsun was in the midst of processing what she’d just heard, when-- “Sort of like a sibling program,” The Principality added, as an afterthought,

That part had Yongsun smiling, “I’m getting a sibling?”. 

“That’s one way to think of it.” The Principality said, finally turning a corner into a hallway that had a group of angels gathered around a slowly spinning orb that was an exact replica of the Earth. Some were praying, others were observing, still others would tap at a spot and vanish. Yong stared in wonder at them all.

She followed the Principality to one angel in particular, who was staring in deep concentration at a spot in South Korea, her brow furrowed in concentration.

“Kim Yonghee, Angel in Heaven,” The Principality said, startling the other angel. She bowed to the Principality once, very low. “Meet your new mentee.”

The Angel--Yonghee-- straightened before turning kind eyes to Yong, mouth instantly curving up into a smile. Yong smiled back. 

now.

“Unnie, don’t you think you overdid it?” Byul asked, staring at the mass of groceries that covered their kitchen counter. Yong only scoffed in response.

“No.”

“There’s probably enough here to make tteokbokki for twenty people.” Byul said, sorting through the groceries, “I don’t see why you can’t just buy premade tteokbokki from the store and then heat it up when Yonghee-unnie arrives.”

“No!” Yong whined, pouting just a little bit, “If my sister is visiting then I have to make it special for her.”

Byul shrugged, “You always get so stressed out whenever your sister visits. Why not just make things easy on yourself for once?”

Yong shook her head, sectioning off the ingredients into little groups with a straightforward single mindedness. “Yonghee-unnie isn’t arriving until next week, I have just enough time and ingredients to practice making tteokbokki until I’m really good at it.”

Byul hummed in response, when Yong turned to look at her, the Demon had a soft smile on her face. “What?” Yong felt a familiar heat creep up her neck and to the back of her ears, suddenly very self conscious.

“Nothing,” Byul replied, already putting away the other piles of ingredients until only one complete set of tteokbokki ingredients was left, “You’re cute when you get all determined like that.”

Yong cringed, “Ah! You’re really gross.” She pushed Byul away for good measure, but the nerves were still there, and when she smiled at Byul, she knew that it was a halfhearted one. 

then .

The first time Yong step foot on Earth, it was with Yonghee. When they materialized unto the plain, they were just on the outskirts of a village. Yong looked around, taking in the feeling of wet earth beneath her bare feet and the strange smells in the air. She looked to her sister, “Where are we?”

“Korea,” Yonghee said, stepping through her halo to change from her angelic robes into Earth clothes. “Well, early Korea I suppose,” the older angel added with a shrug, “I suppose right now they dont call this land Korea just yet, but they will soon enough. It’s in the plans after all.”

Yongsun had just stepped through her own halo, shifting from her robes to a plainer set of clothes. “Why are we here, Unnie?”

Yonghee grinned, excited and mischievous all at once, “Well, little Yong, this is where you will be assigned!” 

She looked around with a gasp, eyes wide. Time passed differently in Heaven, so Yongsun couldn’t say how long she had spent since the first time Yonghee became her sister, training and learning how to be a good angel. They had long argued about when Yongsun could finally be ready to do her own angelic duties, now that the opportunity was presenting itself though, she suddenly felt unprepared.

Yonghee’s smile dimmed a bit, a kind understanding crossing her face. She placed a warm hand on Yongsun’s shoulder, her thumb rubbing affectionate circles against the skin. “Little Yong,” the other angel said, “It’s normal if you don’t feel ready, or if you’re worried that you’ll make a few mistakes, that just means you’re ready to take your angelic duties seriously, and that’s all anyone can ask.”

Her sister’s words provided some semblance of comfort, and Yong nodded. She took a deep breath, trying to quell some of the anxiety in her stomach. “How did you feel when you were given your first assignment, Unnie?” She asked.

The other angel chuckled, taking Yongsun by the arm and leading her toward the village. “Probably as tired as you’re feeling right now. But that’s why I’m here right? To help you.”

now .

The day before Yonghee was due to arrive, Yongsun was more on edge than usual. It didn’t help that the sound of Hyejin and Wheein fighting over the bathroom startled her into almost dropping a stack of plates she was moving from the cupboards to the table. She sighed and shook her head, setting the plates down before poking her head out of the kitchen. “Don’t fight!”

“Unnie, tell Hyejinie that it’s way past her bedtime and she should let other people use the bathroom in the morning.”

Hyejin’s reply was muffled through the bathroom door and it was too early for Yong to try and make sense of any of it. Another slam of a door followed by a frustrated growl told her that Byul was awake.

“Why is everyone so goddamn noisy?”

Yong stared at her fingers, drumming them against the table and silently praying for patience. The arguing had reached a crescendo now with Byul apparently throwing herself into the mix. Yong breathed deeply through her nose for a few seconds before ripping the halo off her head, twirling it once through her fingers, and waving it in the general direction of the upstairs.

The bright light that followed was blinding and flooded their entire apartment. When it faded away, all that was left was silence and Yong, standing in the middle of their dining area with a wolf, a bat, and a snake caught in the circle of her halo, all of them struggling to pull free.

“I said,” Yong started, calmly, eyes blazing white as her wings expanded behind her, “don’t fight.”

The struggling stopped, and she gave it a few more seconds before tapping on the golden circle so it would release her roommates. It took them a  few moments to recover, divine intervention usually did that to other supernatural beings.

The first one to shift back was Byul, who glared up at Yong once before dusting herself off and sheepishly mumbling an apology. The demon made her way back upstairs and into their bedroom. Hyejin and Wheein shifted back at the same time a little after that, with the former giving the angel an even harsher glare.

“What was that for?” Hyejin snapped, disentangling herself from the werewolf and making her way to her own bedroom. When the door slammed behind her, Yongsun sighed, frustration and guilt at war in her heart.

Wheein was still seated on the floor, staring up at her with no small amount of concern. “You okay, Unnie?” She asked softly. Yongsun sighed and shook her head.  

“I should probably apologize,” The angel said, only stopping short when she caught Wheein shaking her head.

“Hyejin understands that tomorrow’s a big day for you Unnie,” Wheein said softly, finally standing up and giving her a gentle smile, “She’s just cranky cause she lacks sleep. Don’t worry about it."

Yong sighed again, sinking into one of the dining room chairs. “I’m sorry anyway, I know I’m on edge, I just can’t help it.” Wheein pulled up a chair beside her, taking one of her hands in hers and squeezing it just so. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

She squeezed Wheein’s hand in return, feeling altogether tired and anxious. “I just want things to turn out perfect for tomorrow. My sister she-- and I just--”

Wheein’s smile turned understanding, “You don’t have to prove to Yonghee-unnie that you’re doing a good job here on Earth. Anyone with eyes can see that you are.” Yong shifted, uncomfortable at having her insecurities laid bare.

Wheein stood up, patting her on the shoulder as she walked towards their coffee maker. “There’s no need to be nervous Unnie, tomorrow will go great!”

then .

“Do you like it?” Yonghee had asked, spreading her arms out wide in front of an apartment building. Yongsun stared at it and her sister in confusion. She and Yonghee had been on Earth for a few millennia, and now it was sometime in the eighties. Living amongst mortals in all that time and spreading goodness whenever they could. 

“It’s a building, what about it?” She asked. Yonghee just chuckled, walking forward to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

“It’s where you’ll be living silly!” Yonghee said, laughing, “We, or I guess, you are now the proud owner of the largest unit on the tenth floor! Now there’s no need to always move around every few years or so. You can be based in Seoul permanently!”

Yongsun was already halfway to the entrance when she paused, turning back to look at her sister. “What do you mean?” An uneasy feeling was settling in her gut.

“Well we’ve never really lived anywhere in the millennia we’ve been here, always just moving around where we’re needed. Now that our duties have been officially lessened, you can have a more permanent home of your own!” 

“But,” Yongsun began, pausing just short of entering the building, “You keep saying ‘you’, don’t you mean we will have a more permanent home to live in?”

Yonghee sighed, arm still slung around Yong’s shoulders. “No I meant you, little Yong. You’ll be staying here.”

She felt unmoored, and more than a little scared. “Where will you be staying?”

“I’ll be going back up to Heaven of course!” This, Yonghee said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

“Y-you’re leaving me?” In all their years, they had always been together. Yong tried to picture being on Earth without her sister. The thought left her panicked and frightened. Out of instinct, she gripped Yonghee’s wrist hard, as if she could keep her on Earth by the sheer force of her will alone.

Yonghee moved to stand in front of her, taking both of her hands. “You’re still my angelic sister Yong, but you’ve improved so much over the centuries, you don’t need me guiding you anymore. You can handle this plain on your own.”

“But I-”

“You’ll be great!” Yonghee said, full of warmth. The pride was emanating from her in waves and Yongsun couldn’t help but feel a little undeserving in the face of that confidence. “I have every faith in you, little Yong.” Yonghee continued, “besides, now you can move in with that demon you’ve been dancing around these last few centuries.”

Yongsun spluttered and Yonghee laughed, teasing and accepting at the same time. She felt her ears burn up in embarrassment, thankful that at least Yonghee chose that moment to hug her close. “I’m proud of you, Yongsun, you can be sure I’ll still be looking out for you from Heaven.”

When they pulled away, Yongsun could feel close around her emotions, and there was a traitorous stinging in the back of her eyes that she tried not to think too much about. So instead she nodded at her sister and smiled, letting herself be lead inside her new home.

now .

When her sister finally arrived, Yong had been halfway through preparing the tteokbokki recipe she perfected, so Byul had opened the door. She peered over her shoulder just in time to catch the demon get pulled into a tight hug, 

“Byul-ah!”

“Oh, Unnie!”

There was laughter and Yong could hear Wheein and Hyejin approaching the front door now too, the demon introducing them to her sister. She took a deep breath, turned off the stove and turned around, coming face to face with her Yonghee, arms held open for a hug.

“Hello little Yong,” Yonghee said teasingly, an easy smile and bright laughter in her voice. Yong felt her worries move to the back of her mind, taking the last few steps forward and hugging her sister back. 

Later, when they were all crowded around the apartment’s tiny dining table, she watched her sister take a bite of her tteokbokki and nod happily at her. “This is good! You really made this?”

Yong ducked her head, smiling, beside her, Byul was already chuckling. “You should have seen Yongsun-unnie last week before you got here, every night she would try to perfect that tteokbokki, so every night that’s all we’ve been eating.”

“Unnie’s arrival has saved us,” Wheein added, mockingly serious and to the laughter of everyone present, “We can finally start eating something other than tteokbokki tomorrow.”

“Hey, you said you liked tteokbokki,” Yong said, her voice coming out defensive.

“If I ever eat tteokbokki again, it will be too soon.” Hyejin said, her tone also grave but her eyes sparkling with laughter. Yong rolled her eyes, but she could feel her lips curling traitorously upwards. 

“That sounds like Yongsun alright,” Yonghee agreed, eyes crinkling playfully at her. 

After dinner, with her three roommates setting up their TV for a movie marathon, Yongsun found herself washing the dishes with her sister. As she passed her sister another bowl to rinse off, Yonghee nudged her with one of her wings, “You seem a lot more settled than the last time I visited.”

Yong shrugged, but let herself really believe the words. Since the last time she saw her sister, she and Byul had taken in Wheein, and then a few years after that, Hyejin had moved in. Back when she first realized she would be living on her own for the first time in several millennia, the thought of it scared her. The idea of being alone for all eternity was too frightening to comprehend. 

Now, in the background she could hear her roommates fighting over which movie they would watch first, the sound of it making her happy.

“I guess I am,” Yong replied, nudging her sister back with her own wing, “I’m glad you’re here though.”

Yonghee pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head. “Me too. I’m proud of you, Yongsun.”

Yongsun smiled at her sister and nodded, feeling that familiar sting behind her eyes again. She blinked a few times before turning back to the soap and the dishes. It was only later on, sandwiched between Byul and Yonghee, with Wheein and Hyejin cuddled up on the floor and a horror movie playing on their TV that Yong finally let the last of her anxieties go. 

If her sister was proud of her, then she could be proud of herself too.