Thousands of years ago, the purest angel was created by the hands of God. His whole being radiated light; he was good, like he could never be tainted. His light grey, almost white hair, his soft blue eyes and his fluffy white wings gave him this otherworldly and angelic appearance. He was given the name Baekhyun.

Baekhyun was a guardian angel, probably one of the best that was ever created. He took his missions seriously, always responsible and hard-working. He slowly climbed up the guardian angels’ ladder, until he became a very respected figure of the angelic realm. He never felt any greed to get a higher rank in the hierarchy of angels; he was happy with what he had, he was happy to be a guardian angel and to protect and guide people. He took care of his charges very well, always making sure to keep them on the path of goodness and to protect them when need be.

Over time, the angel learned more about humanity and how they could never learn about the existence of angels. It didn’t bother him, though he was curious about the humans they swore to guide and protect. He learned to see through them, to know what their intentions were at heart. He learned when it was too late to help them back on the path of goodness, or when there was still hope to save them. He also learned about his abilities, the power of light that was granted to him; the light that became his best friend, like it was a part of him. The light guided him, just like God did.

For the two centuries he had lived, Baekhyun had seen and protected many people. It was always interesting to see how different everyone was, with different beliefs and personalities. He had come across so many people, helped so many of them, and they would never know. He didn’t mind; that was part of being a guardian angel. He couldn’t help being curious, though. Humans were so interesting; how different was life on Earth compared to life in the Heavens? Baekhyun was just curious. Maybe too curious.

In 1977, the angel was tasked to protect a new human. It was a girl. As always, he watched over her from the moment she was born; as she grew up, everything was going well. Until one day, it wasn’t. 1997. The angel would never forget that day. His charge didn’t have an easy life and as it became increasingly painful… he started feeling the weight of her suffering. Baekhyun didn’t understand why he could feel it, but he didn’t question it at first. Thought it was something that happened when angels were strongly connected to their charges. Little did he know how wrong he was.

As time passed, he became increasingly worried; a human’s suffering was a lot more than he had ever expected. Was that what they lived with for the whole of their short mortal lives? He couldn’t let his charge suffer like that. The angel was even warned, one day. Be careful. Do not interfere. Keep your distance. Only faith can save oneself. The Seraphims could feel the change in him, but he didn’t heed their words. He kept caring and worrying. And then, that fateful day happened. He hadn’t been fast enough to save her. He would never know if she had caused that car accident on purpose or not. But it was violent enough to take her life. Hopefully, her soul wouldn’t be damned.

Days and weeks passed, but the angel couldn’t get over the death of his charge. It happened sometimes, angels could be saddened because of the death of a charge, but it never lasted long. Yet, Baekhyun was reacting to it in a stronger way than his peers. He started becoming more and more burdened by what could only be mortal emotions. He began questioning his very nature and purpose. How was it fair? The girl had such a bright life ahead of her. Faith hadn’t been enough; it seemed like it wasn’t sufficient in that mortal world, that was full of greed. Why didn’t they let him save her?

And then one day, in 1998, it happened. Wasn’t it bound to? The Council of Seraphims, the most influential beings in the hierarchy of angels, reunited to debate about Baekhyun’s fate. Everyone more or less realized that something was up with one of God’s most promising angels. He had changed. He was prone to human emotions. He was questioning his purpose. How could anyone let this happen?

That day was a bit blurry in Baekhyun’s mind. He didn’t like thinking about it. It made him… bitter. Because on that very day, to his utter horror, he became a fallen angel. He remembered the fall. How frightening it was. How did this happen? He fell from grace just like the rain had been falling down from the dark clouds on that day. The fall had felt endless, but it had taken only seconds. As he hit the ground, he kept his eyes closed for a few minutes. The rain was slowly soaking him through his white robe. He took a deep breath, slowly opened his eyes. So that’s what rain feels like. He sat up on the ground, feeling a bit lost; he unfurled his wings to protect himself. Then he caught a flash of black in the corner of his eyes. Whipping his head faster than he thought he could, Baekhyun looked. His eyes widened, and reality gave him a harsh slap in the face. What were once bright white feathers were slowly turning grey… and would soon turn black over time.

The angel looked up at the pouring sky and screamed.

2023, Seoul.

“Not again!”

Son Subin looked down at her feet, where the cup of coffee she’d been holding had crashed on the ground. The coffee it contained was slowly spreading on the tiles, and the woman sighed.

“Another one?”

Subin looked up at her coworker, Gyubin, who had asked the question. The blonde woman looked at her with indulgent eyes. Subin offered a sheepish smile, feeling embarrassed.

“Yeah… I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so clumsy, these days,” she shrugged. “It’s getting annoying, if I’m being honest.”

“It’s okay. It happens, sometimes.”

The brunette took hold of a mop and was about to start cleaning the tiles, when her coworker intervened.

“Just let me do it, I’ve got this. You go take care of the orders at the counter.”

Subin nodded, apologizing once more, before going to stand behind the counter.

Today was a slow day at the coffee shop; probably because it was raining, and people were at work. She looked out the window, watching as the raindrops hit the glass. She slowly got lost in her thoughts as she waited for customers to come in. She’d been working at the coffee shop for two years now, and she liked it a lot. The contact with people, preparing coffee… she wouldn’t change it for anything. The routine was comforting, although a bit boring at times, but she was used to it now. Subin liked her life and the woman she had become.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the bell rang as someone entered the place. She looked up and for a moment, she felt speechless. The man that just entered was absolutely astonishing. His beauty seemed otherworldly, the type that made people turn around to get more than just a glimpse of him. He was wearing an all-black outfit: black shirt under a black jacket with silver buttons, black leather pants and black boots. He closed his umbrella and approached the counter, enabling Subin to see his features better. His hair was a dark shade of grey whereas his eyes were icy grey. Those eyes looked a bit troubled and tormented as they looked at her, and she realised the man was looking at her with a raised eyebrow. She instantly felt herself blush, her eyes widening as she was caught red-handed staring at the man. She cleared and a small smirk graced the stranger’s face.

“G-good morning, what can I get you?”

His pretty eyes looked at the pastry display before looking back at her.

“I’ll get an iced americano and a slice of cheesecake.”

“Sure thing!”

She cashed his payment and once it was done, the man went to find a seat in a quiet corner, close to the windows. She stared for a few seconds before shaking her head. I have work to do!

She was extra careful with his coffee, making sure not to spill it like she did earlier. Once she was done, she put a straw in the glass and put it on the tray, with the cheesecake and a paper napkin. Then she took a deep breath, praying her clumsiness wouldn’t get the best of her again; she didn’t need to make a fool of herself in front of the few customers.

She made her way to the grey-eyed man, who looked up as he heard her approaching. She could feel his gaze on her as she put the coffee and cheesecake in front of him, prompting her to blush slightly. They were both silent, until he spoke up to thank her.

“Thank you,” he said, looking at her nametag, “Subin. The name is Baekhyun, by the way.”

“You’re welcome,” she nodded, then added. “Baekhyun.”

His name rolled off her tongue easily and she let it linger for a moment. Baekhyun. What a beautiful name.

She fidgeted for a few seconds in awkward silence, under Baekhyun’s amused gaze, before she abruptly left to go back to the counter, holding the tray tightly with both hands.

The morning went by slowly, the rain didn’t falter and Baekhyun stayed, enjoying his coffee and cake. Subin was hyperaware of his presence; sometimes, she even caught him staring at her and she immediately turned around, face flushed. He just observed her as she took the customers’ orders and chatted with them. Sometimes though, she noticed that he was staring at a spot over her shoulder. She was a bit confused by this; she didn’t know what caught his attention like that, since she was alone at the counter. Maybe he was just daydreaming, or she was feeling too conscious of his eyes on her that she started imagining things.

Around noon, the grey-eyed man rose from his chair and readied himself to leave. Subin saw it from the corner of her eyes, because she was keeping an eye on him. There was just something about him… Something that made her curious. She wanted to know more about the mysterious man, more than just his name. She wanted to know the man behind those tormented eyes.

He came up to the counter to return his glass and plate, but since she was busy with another customer, they didn’t have the chance to talk. Instead, Gyubin was the one to take care of it and Baekhyun went on his way. He slowed down as he opened the door, looking back at Subin one last time. Their eyes met, and she offered him a hesitant smile. He didn’t return it, instead furrowed his eyebrows – once again, his eyes lingered on a spot over her shoulder, and he looked troubled. It made her frown as well. She decided to look too, but didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. When she looked back in Baekhyun’s direction, he was already out of the shop, crossing the street under the rain and not even sparing her one last glance.

What is up with that man?

The days passed, and as if it was becoming a routine of sorts, Baekhyun came back every day. He entered the coffee shop around nine in the morning, always ordered an iced americano, sometimes a cheesecake, and went to sit at the same table in the corner, near the windows. He just stayed, occasionally looking out the window at the bustling street, sometimes looking at Subin as she worked. Somehow, when he was around, the woman felt less clumsy than usual, even though she should have been; who wouldn’t be, when someone so handsome was looking at her like that? But she wasn’t complaining. At least, she wouldn’t make a fool of herself in front of him. Then he left at noon, always. To go to work, to go back home… Subin had no idea. Then one day, it changed.

Baekhyun had been coming to the coffee shop for a month now, and Subin just hadn’t been able to muster the courage to strike up a real conversation with him. On that sunny but cold morning, Baekhyun entered the shop and as he always did, he ordered his usual and went to sit at what the woman now called Baekhyun’s table. But this time, it was different. When she brought him his order, he nodded towards the empty chair in front of him, as if he was inviting her to sit. Subin looked around the almost empty shop, not sure what to do. Should she?

“Come on, take a seat,” Baekhyun’s deep but soft-spoken voice said. “There’s no crowd and your coworker looks like she can handle anyone coming in.”

The woman looked back at Gyubin, who gave her two thumbs up with a big smile, encouraging her to sit with him. She had seen the two exchanging glances over the last four weeks, and knew that Subin needed to take this opportunity; since the grey-eyed man was taking the initiative, she had to go for it. Otherwise, nothing would ever happen. The brunette huffed, embarrassed, but sat down in front of Baekhyun, feeling delighted deep down. This was what she had been waiting for; an opportunity to talk to him and get to know him better.

They both stayed silent for a moment, Subin fiddling with her fingers under the table and Baekhyun observing her. She could feel his eyes on her, prompting her to flush. She cleared and looked up at him. From up close, he looked even more ethereal. His beauty truly was unrivaled, and the only word that came to her mind was the same one as the first time she saw him: otherworldly. His hair was a dark grey, but the sun rays made it look like a light grey instead. In Subin’s opinion though, his eyes were by far the most mesmerizing. That icy grey color was unlike any other; they had a silvery tint to them, combined with white flecks here and there. They were looking at her warmly but they were also very piercing, as if they were looking right through her.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Byun Baekhyun,” he said, extending a hand towards her.

“I’m Son Subin.”

His hand felt warm in hers. He has pretty hands, she thought fleetingly. His lithe fingers looked fragile, a bright contrast to the strong but gentle hold of his hand on hers. Even after he took back his hand, she could feel the tingling in her hand from his contact.

“S-So,” she stuttered, berating herself inwardly for this, “are you enjoying your coffee?”

Baekhyun nodded, an amused smile on his face.

“The coffee is always good. That’s why I keep coming back.”

He took a sip of his coffee then hummed, looking back at her, still smiling.

“The waitress makes the stay enjoyable and she’s pretty too.”

Subin looked at him wide-eyed, feeling her face heat up at his words. Did he really just say that?!

“Yes, um. Thank you. That’s… That’s like, very nice. You… Ah, I try to make the atmosphere warm and welcoming. Thank you,” she rambled on awkwardly.

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

She put her cold hands over her flaming cheeks under his gentle gaze, avoiding his eyes and not knowing how to react. It was the first time someone had complimented her in such a forward way. She wasn’t even used to it… Being more on the quiet side, people rarely took a second glance a