PART ONE OF THREE

Once Jungmi entered the comfort of her room, she curled up on her bed and punched her pillow. She was angry. So angry that simply slapping the purple-haired woman in the face would fail to alleviate her anger. Yelling, screaming, punching, and kicking would not alleviate her anger, either. Just who did that woman think she was? Strutting into the room with her pompous attitude and skin-tight leggings. Did she think that she was some sort of goddess, that she deserved to be worshiped because she was y and little else?

This was something that Jungmi could not accept. Women like Hyosung plagued every single one of Jungmi’s living days. Her university was filled with them and men gravitated towards them without any measure of self-control. Her own best friends were the same way. Baekhyun was usually one of the first to latch on to such women like a leech. Chanyeol and Kyungsoo were a bit more subtle with their approaches, but also ended up leaving Jungmi alone whenever they had the chance to “snag” one of the women.

It was these sorts of women who used honest men and transformed them into backstabbing jerks.

It was these sorts of women who paraded around in skimpy clothing for the pure reason of being worshiped and ogled by the male population.

And it was these sorts of women who tore her father away from his family.

In a fit of rage, Jungmi hurled her pillow at the bedroom door. However, instead of the hollow thump of a wooden door, Jungmi heard a small, “Oof!” She looked up to see her little sister crumple to the floor.

“Younggie-ah!” Jungmi hurried to her sister’s side, worried that she might have injured her. She removed the pillow from her face, only to find a giggling Youngmi hidden underneath. She scowled and swatted Youngmi with the pillow before heading over to the student desk.

“Is this how you greet anyone who comes into the room?” Youngmi asked as she closed the door.

Jungmi grunted. “It’s your fault for entering the room at that exact moment.”

“Eonni, why are you so mopey? It isn’t like you.” Youngmi paused, touching her up lip in mock contemplation. “Wait, what was I thinking about? This is exactly like you!”

“Youngmi, I don’t like this woman.”

Youngmi’s expression softened. “Yeah? Me, too.”

“With her in the way, we won’t be able to finish the mission. We have 80 days to complete this mission.”

“Are you sure that the mission is what’s on your mind?” From the door, Youngmi stared at the pale green aura wrapping around his sister’s thin frame.

Jungmi turned to Youngmi with a puzzled expression. “Yes, of course, that is what’s on my mind. What do you think I’m thinking about?”

Youngmi flopped onto Jungmi’s bed. “Do you want to know what I think, Eonni?”

“What is it?”

“I think that you’re jealous of her.”

“Jealous of her!” Jungmi scoffed. “Who would be jealous of such a woman?”

“I’d say maybe 90% of the female population in the world.”

“I’m not jealous of her.”

“Your aura says you are.”

Jungmi’s cheeks flushed red. For a moment, she thought about the reasons why she felt so antagonistic toward Hyosung. Was it truly because she would get in the way of the mission? She thought back to when Hyosung demanded to know what happened to Daehyun. How tenderly Hyosung held Daehyun’s injured hand. Did she feel something then?

No, Jungmi concluded. I didn’t feel a thing. I was just worried. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least she was not breaching the rules God had set before the mission began.

“Okay, so my aura says that I am. But, I am not jealous of her. She could have a history with the boys, for all I care. You have to remember the reason why we came back to earth, Youngmi. It was not to become human again, but to get these souls into heaven before their death date. ”

It was Youngmi’s turn to blush. “I-I know that!”

Jungmi shot her a look. “Why are you stuttering?”

“I-I’m not st-stuttering!”

“Whatever. There’s no need for you to act so weird. I just said that we came back to earth for a mission, not to be human again.” Jungmi reached for the manila folder containing the boys’ profiles and opened it to Daehyun’s profile. “I wished that God gave us more than just the bare minimum of the boys’ profiles.”

“Maybe he wanted us to discover these things on our own,” Youngmi murmured as she tried to recover from her temporary slip-up. “You know, as Guardian Angels, maybe he wants us to get to know our targets personally. Maybe that’s why he placed us in their lives.”

“Well, 80 days is not enough time to get to know someone and make them believe in Jesus Christ. There has to be some way to do this task efficiently.”

“It would have been much easier if we were humans, to tell you the truth.”

Jungmi took a moment to examine her little sister from the corner of her eye. There was definitely something odd about the way she patted her cheeks. “You know, the ‘human’ thing still stands, Youngmi.”

“I know, Eonni. You already told me that.”

“So, what is the point in saying that things would have been easier if we were humans?”

Youngmi blinked at her sister. Her cheeks were enflamed once again. “I just said that because it’s true! I didn’t mean anything by it!”

“Youngmi,” Jungmi began with a hardened voice. “Don’t tell me that…”

“That what?”

“That you want to be human again.”

~:~:~:~:~

Silence gripped the boys. Although Yongguk was known for being firm, it was rare to see him frustrated and angry. At that moment, he was clearly unhappy about his decision, yet he was adamant about enforcing his decision.

“Why, Hyung? Why does she have to stay?” Youngjae murmured. “We can accept her staying here, but not without reason.”

Yongguk remained unfazed by the younger’s dejected tone. “You know why, Youngjae. Daehyun cannot go to a hospital. Noona is the only one who can watch over him.”

Himchan shared a look with Youngjae before saying, “Is that the only reason, Gukkie?”

“Are you suggesting that I want Noona to stay, Himchan?”

“Well, I know that you still harbor some feelings for her, even after she did that to you.”

Yongguk scoffed. “Stop acting like you know everything, Himchan. I told you, if we want to keep Daehyun safe, Noona is our best bet.”

“Look, let’s forget about Daehyun’s predicament for a moment because he’s fine. He is resting and is void of pain for the moment, so we don’t have to worry about him. I’m worried about you, Gukkie. Ever since she left, you haven’t been the same.” Himchan gestured to Youngjae, Jongup, and Zelo. “The boys can attest to that.”

Yongguk shifted his gaze from Youngjae to Jongup, then to Zelo. Each of them had solemn expressions on their faces. He returned his gaze to Youngjae, who flinched in response. “Youngjae, what is Himchan talking about?”

“Hyung, you’ve been a bit… hard on us since Noona left. Even Daehyun talked less than he normally would,” Youngjae admitted as the maknaes nodded. “You made us take on back-to-back jobs that were physically draining, without giving us details beforehand. If that wasn’t enough, that one job with BangTan—”

Himchan clamped a hand over his mouth. “Yah, Youngjae, stop it, will you? We have women in the home.”

“Whatever the case,” Jongup began, silencing both Himchan and Youngjae. “Things have been getting too much for us over the past three years, Hyung. With Noona leaving, the numerous jobs, and my parents abandoning me, things have been rough for us.”

Yongguk’s gaze softened. “I know, Jongup.”

Himchan sighed. “Gukkie, we’re not asking you to make Noona leave. But, keep in mind why she’s here. If you say that she is here for Daehyun’s sake, we believe you. Just make sure it stays that way. Don’t go adding any more reasons for her to stay.”

Yongguk bowed his head, defeated by the pleading of his dongsaengs. Yes, what they said was true. He still had residual feelings for Hyosung, but that did not deter him from the fact that she betrayed him. And that was enough to harden his resolve.

No matter what Hyosung said or did, he would not yield. She was to stay one week and not a day longer.

“Arasseo, Himchan…”

~:~:~:~:~

Youngmi exhaled shakily. The answer was yes. Yes, she wanted to be human again. This was not some dream that she had conjured overnight; she definitely wanted to be human again. Being human would ensure that she was alive. Being human would assure her that she had parents. Being human meant growing into a woman who would eventually marry and have children with the man she loved.

“Eonni…”

“What is there to be gained in being human again, Youngmi? We’re dead! If God wanted to resurrect us, he would have!”

“I know that!”

Jungmi pinched the bridge of her nose, praying for her rage to simmer down. “What were you hoping to do with your time on earth, huh? Get married? Have children?”

“No—”

“Or maybe fall in love with someone and enjoy everlasting peace like whatever happens in those dramas you used to watch?”

“Eonni!”

“Youngmi! How could you be so…?” Jungmi paused to draw in a deep breath. She was an angel. Angels were not supposed to be pissed off, were they? Angels were supposed to be composed and… angelic. They were representations of God and how she was acting at that moment was not representing God. “Never mind. I’m going to shower before I lose my Christianity. I’ve had enough stress for one day.”

Jungmi snapped the folder shut, put it away, picked up her towel and night clothes, and disappeared out of their bedroom door, leaving Youngmi to marinate in her thoughts.

Eonni is right, Youngmi thought to herself as she settled into the seat that Jungmi had just left vacant. There is nothing to be gained with wanting to be human again.

Remaining the age of 17 forever was not bad at all. She was finally at peace. She did not have to worry about the trials of life since she died at such a youthful age. Her youth would be the only memory she needed to remember her humanity. It was her sister who endured the hardships while they were growing up, so really, she had no recollections of pain and misery. She should be happy about this fact.

But, she was not. For once, she wanted to see how the world would treat her if she lived, even just a little bit longer. Would the world condemn her inexperience? Or would it embrace her innocence? If she finally gained an understanding, perhaps even her own, of the world, would it still shun her? She had so many questions, yet so little knowledge of her own to answer them. Since she had died so suddenly, she had lost the ability to grow and develop and that bothered her greatly.

Granted, as an Angel, she was invincible. She could not die twice. Her body was perfect, whole, and without scars. She was the epitome of beauty on earth. Yet, she was restricted from many things. She could not feel pain and suffering because her body was eternal. She did not have access to love, or at least in the way humans did. Yes, she lived in Heaven, a world that far exceeded earth, since it was flawless. Was perfection really beautiful? The world she grew up in taught her that it was not. Beauty ceased to exist without flaws. Perfection was an illusion created by humans to remind other humans of their own flaws.

So, how could perfection in exist in a flawless world if perfection was only an illusion?

Youngmi clutched her head and groaned. She should really leave the thinking to Jungmi. Her head throbbed by just thinking about why peanut butter matched so well with jelly. She could never understand such an abstract concept like perfection. Her feeble mind would only produce questions and more questions that would never be answered.

She grasped the folder in her hands and stared at the blank cover. Jungmi was much more suited for these sorts of missions. Her older sister had the ability to mask her feelings and stick to the task at hand. True, if Jungmi had been alone in the mission, she would have finished the task within the week. But, because she needed to care of Youngmi as well, things did not even begin, yet.

Youngmi sighed before placing the folder back on the desk. Maybe it was time to go to sleep. She already exhausted herself with too many thoughts.

*****Hey, all! I'm glad to be back! Although I am still very busy, it has become (surprisingly) less busy before the start of the school year, so here I am! Since I am such a bad and negligent author, I have decided to post a three-part update. (It was originally a two-part, but because it took so long to edit both chapters, I decided to make it a three-part.) Thank you so much for sticking with this fanfic long enough to reach this point in the story! As always, please comment, subscribe, and enjoy! 8.3.15 :)*****