A/N: If you haven't read the epilogue in An Angel's Wings, then you probably won't understand what's going on in the beginning of this chapter.

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“I do too.”

Kyungsoo blinked in surprise at the girl’s response. He didn’t think that any human would believe in angels. Well, at least she didn’t seem like the type to. A part of Kyungsoo wanted to unfurl his wings and reveal his true identity to the girl but another part argued against doing so.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I’ll leave now,” she said. The girl bowed apologetically and shuffled out of his bedroom. Without realizing, Kyungsoo followed her to the door. She paused at the doorway and turned around.

“Are you new around here?”

Kyungsoo bit his lip and nodded. “I moved in a few days ago.”

“Well then, welcome. My boyfriend lives next door so if you need anything you can ask him for help. His name is Tao. Oh! And my name is Eunra,” she replied.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kyungsoo,” he responded. Eunra chuckled brightly and threw him a wide smile.

“I know. You told me that before.”

“Oh, right.” Kyungsoo flushed a bright red and his gaze shifted down to the floor. Lips curling up into a smile, Eunra patted his shoulder.

“You’re really cute, you know that? You have these big doe eyes that make you look all innocent, especially when you’re surprised and confused.”

Eyes growing wide, Kyungsoo looked up at her. He blinked several times and she giggled. “See, that’s exactly what I mean. I’d be careful if I were you. Your innocence might get you into a troublesome situation.” Once she said that, Eunra waved one last goodbye to a still bewildered Kyungsoo and then she went next door to her boyfriend’s apartment. The door opened and she greeted the tall boy with a hug.

“You’ve got a new neighbor. Did you know that?” she asked him. “He’s right there. I’ll introduce you to him.”

She pointed in Kyungsoo’s direction and Tao poked his head out to look. “Uh, there’s no one there,” he said slowly.

“What? Don’t with me. He’s standing right there.” Eunra turned her head to look at Kyungsoo only to find empty space. The door to his apartment was closed. “What the hell? He went back inside already,” she muttered.

“You can introduce me to him next time. Let’s go. We’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now,” Tao said as he ushered Eunra away from the door. “You know how Chanyeol doesn’t like to wait.”

“I don’t get why he couldn’t just stay at his apartment and leave at the same time as us.”

“He’s Chanyeol. He wanted to meet us at the café, not walk with us.”

“I guess you’re right. He’s a weird one,” Eunra said, chortling at her own joke. Tao rolled his eyes as he led his girlfriend towards the stairs.

“Hurry up. I think Chanyeol is calling me right now,” he muttered as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He answered it and Eunra could hear Chanyeol’s voice on the other line. He didn’t sound angry but he wouldn’t stop talking. She glanced at Tao’s expression and could see him growing wearier by the second. Chuckling softly to herself, she reached out and ended the call.

“What was that about?” Tao exclaimed.

“Shh, it’s fine. You and I both know you wanted Chanyeol to shut up. This just makes it easier. Oh, give me your phone in case he calls again.”

The couple walked away from the apartment building, chatting all the while. They moved closer to one another to fight off the chilly winter air. One person watched them leave, smiling at the sight. He snapped a picture of the happy couple on his Polaroid camera and waited for the picture to come out. When it did, he held it in the palm of his hand.

“Humans are interesting. Right, Kris?” Kyungsoo said as he shut the door to his apartment. Standing in the living room was the tall, suave angel. His wings were unfurled to their full length, stretching out and touching the walls with the tips. Kyungsoo noticed the dull, tearful look in his eyes. He strolled over to the older angel with the Polaroid picture in his hand, extending it towards him.

“If you miss her that much, why don’t you give up being an angel?” he asked. He waved the picture in front of Kris’s face. With his free hand, Kyungsoo pointed at the image of Tao’s back. “This could be you.”

The emotions disappeared from Kris’s face and were replaced with a sharp, no-nonsense look. “It doesn’t matter. Besides, you know I can’t do that. It’d be against His wishes,” he replied curtly, each word sharp and short cutting like knives.

“I thought He only wanted everyone to be happy. Why won’t He let you be happy?” Kyungsoo responded.

“Stop. I don’t wanna answer your questions. I did my job in the human world and now I’m back in Heaven where I belong. I don’t need to see her. I don’t need to be with her.”

“Then why did you come here then? You told me my mission and you didn’t need to do anything else. You didn’t have to follow me here, but you still did. It’s cause you wanted to see her. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Silence. Kyungsoo knew he was right when Kris did not reply. He couldn’t comprehend why Kris didn’t just give up his wings to be with Eunra. It made perfect sense, didn’t it? If you love someone then you should be with them. Right?

“You’re too naïve sometimes Kyungsoo. Sometimes, you have to let go of the one you love so they can be happy. Besides, she’s only alive because of my feather. If my wings disappear then so does that feather. You get what that means don’t you?” Kris’s voice broke as he whispered the words. He had tried to go back to the human world right after he saved Eunra but a voice in his head told him the truth. He couldn’t become human or else she’d die.

This time it was Kyungsoo who remained quiet. He stared at the picture in his hand and imagined how Tao would feel if Eunra just dropped dead suddenly. He couldn’t imagine how Kris felt at that moment. If he tried to be with the one he loved, then she would die. How much torture did Kris have to go through? Kyungsoo frowned and lifted his head to look at Kris again. Instead, he saw the wall of the living room. Kris had disappeared; most likely he had gone back to Heaven.

Taking the picture, Kyungsoo taped it on the wall. While he completed his mission in the human world, he wanted to document the humans he met. He grabbed a marker and wrote underneath the picture, First humans I met. Couple.

He pursed his lips and sat down on the black couch. Eyes falling shut, hands joining together, bowing his head, Kyungsoo prayed that Kris would find happiness. When he was done, his eyes fluttered open. The tiniest of smiles played on his lips and he had a feeling that things would go right for Kris from now on. He knew that it didn’t mean Kris would get to be with Eunra, but he did know that other things would turn out good.

Kyungsoo picked up the Polaroid camera again and slung the strap around his neck. Scooping up the jacket that was provided for him, he slipped it on. After bundling up, Kyungsoo left the apartment. He skipped down the stairs and started walking towards the park. Before he began his mission, he wanted to get a good look of the human world.

As he strolled through the winter wonderland of a park, he took random snapshots of things he thought were interesting. It could have been a tree covered in snow, a critter that happened to be out, or people. Kyungsoo took photos of them all. He stuffed the pictures in the pocket of his coat, saving them to tape onto his wall later.

Everything about the human world awed Kyungsoo. His eyes grew bright as he took in all the sights. The pure white snow that sparkled under the sunlight delighted him. The sound of children’s boots crunching the snow as they ran and threw snowballs resounded in his ears. The smell of Christmastime snacks wafted into his nose.

“The human world is so beautiful,” he whispered under his breath.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo felt the impact of a snowball on his face. The snow melted and stung his skin. He shuddered from the cold. Eyes wide in confusion, Kyungsoo turned towards the source of the snowball. A boy about the age of eight he presumed was staring back at him. His eyes were just as wide and he seemed to quake with fear.

“I-I’m so s-sorry mister. I-I didn’t mean to hit you,” the boy stuttered. Another boy stood up from where he had been crouching. “My brother ducked so it hit you instead. I’m sorry.”

The boy who had just stood up bowed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were behind me. I wouldn’t have ducked if I had known. Please don’t be angry.”

Kyungsoo blinked and a smile came on his face. “It’s alright. I’m not angry at either of you.” The boys seemed calmed by his words and they grinned back at him.

“Thanks mister!”

“Yeah, you’re really nice!”

Kyungsoo’s face lit up and he had a one thousand watt smile adorning his face. His lips curled up into such a genuine smile that the boys were into beaming back at him. They moved toward him and sat down on the bench beside him.

“My name is Hyunwoo. This is my brother, Hyunjae,” the boy who had thrown the snowball said. “Our noona says not to talk to strangers but you’re really nice, so it’s okay.”

“Yeah, you didn’t get mad at us for hitting you with a snowball,” Hyunjae chimed in. Now that they were closer, Kyungsoo could see just how similar the boys looked. They were practically twins. He wouldn’t have been able to differentiate between the two if not for the different colored snowsuits and hats they were wearing. Hyunwoo was dressed in a navy blue snowsuit while Hyunjae sported a green one.

“Well, I shouldn’t get mad if it was an accident, right?” Kyungsoo replied. “Besides, it was refreshing.” The boys laughed at Kyungsoo’s response.

“How was it refreshing? It’s already cold outside. Wouldn’t it be super duper freezing?” Hyunjae asked.

“I liked it. Why don’t you see what it feels like?” Kyungsoo bent down and scooped up a handful of snow in his hand. The boys’ eyes widened and they saw what was coming next. In a split second, they scattered in opposite directions. Swinging his arm, the snowball Kyungsoo had created sailed through the air towards Hyunwoo. The child dodged it and he snickered.

“Haha, you missed me mister!” he taunted while he stuck out his tongue. Kyungsoo was so caught up with Hyunwoo that he didn’t even notice how Hyunjae had snuck up behind him with an armful of snow. He realized too late, turning his head just in time to see Hyunjae release the snow. It landed on top of his head, drizzling down and into his clothes. Kyungsoo shivered as the snow and ice slid against his skin.

The two brothers took pride in their teamwork and hi-fived one another, chuckling gleefully. “We got you mister!” Hyunjae hollered.

Distracted by their mini victory, the boys didn’t even see how Kyungsoo had formed two snowballs and chucked them at the boys. Their cheering was interrupted by the icy impact of snow against their stomachs. Luckily, their snowsuits padded the blow and Kyungsoo had not thrown that hard. Jaws hanging open in shock, the brothers turned their heads slowly towards Kyungsoo.

“Uh-oh mister…” Hyunwoo began.

“…You’ve just started a war,” Hyunjae finished the sentence.

Kyungsoo hadn’t meant to spend so much time with the two kids, but before he knew it he was in a full blown snowball fight. They created forts and prepared their arsenals, forming snowball after snowball and keeping them in a pile. The boys were about ten or fifteen feet in front of Kyungsoo, hiding behind their own fort.

It seemed like the back and forth attacks went on for hours as the three of them pelted each other with snowballs. Kyungsoo had never felt so happy in his life. The freezing winter air should have chilled Kyungsoo to the bone but certain warmth swelled in his heart as he played with the two boys.

However, their fun seemed to end all too soon when a voice called out the boys’ names. “Hyunwoo-ah! Hyunjae-ah! Where are you?” a female voice shouted from a distance. The boys stopped what they were doing and looked for the source of the voice.

“Noona! We’re over here!” they called back in unison.

A moment later, a girl jogged towards them. Kyungsoo’s first impression of her was that she reminded him of a fairy. She wasn’t very tall but she was thin. Her hair was a dark brown color that looked black under some angles. She had a pixie cut which added to her fairy-like appearance, making her look dainty. Her lips were pulled into a thin line as she stood in front of the boys. Her petite hands rested on her hips as she gave them a reprimanding look.

“Didn’t I tell you two to stay close to me? Why did you wander off like that?” she scolded. “What if you had gotten lost? Or worse, what if someone had taken you away?”

The brothers huddled close to one another and stared at their boots. They frowned and Hyunwoo glanced up at his sister with tear-filled eyes. “W-we’re sorry Jimin noona. The snow over here was easier to pack into a snowball.”

Jimin shut her eyes and took one deep slow breath. Then, she smiled softly at them. Her hand reached out and ruffled the hair on both their heads. “Okay. I forgive you. But, next time just remember to tell me where you’re going, alright? I was worried that I’d lost you guys.”

The boys nodded eagerly and hugged their sister tightly. They let go of her to turn towards Kyungsoo.

“Thanks for playing with us mister. That was the funnest snowball fight ever!” they exclaimed. Jimin finally noticed Kyungsoo stand a few feet away. She blinked when she saw him, a warm blush creeping on her cheeks.

It was certain that Kyungsoo wasn’t unattractive. He wasn’t hot or y but he was good looking. He was cute, thought Jimin. He had a charm about him that seemed to speak directly to Jimin. Maybe it was in the way that his eyes looked so bright, filled with an air of innocence. When she stared into them, she could see childish dreams and naïve hopes. Seeing that made her want to protect him, to be by his side in order to keep away things that could destroy that innocence. And maybe just a tiny part of it was a kind of attraction, like a magnet he had that pulled her towards him.

Jimin realized she had been staring at Kyungsoo the whole time, not saying anything or even bothering to ask who he was. Her cheeks heated up even more. “U-umm. Hyunwoo, Hyunjae, who is this?”

“My name is Kyungsoo. Your brothers were having a snowball fight but one of them accidentally hit me.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!”

“No, there’s no need to apologize. They didn’t cause any harm,” Kyungsoo replied calmly. Jimin was flustered and she knew it. She couldn’t help it when Kyungsoo was staring at her with his big eyes and his angelic smile.

“But still, I apologize. If there’s anything I can do to make it up to you, just let me know.”

“Well, there is one thing,” Kyungsoo said slowly.

“What is it?” she asked. Kyungsoo ped his jacket and Jimin squealed inside her mind. He’s not going to ask for anything…inappropriate, is he? she thought. She nearly sighed out loud when Kyungsoo merely pulled out his camera.

“Is it okay if I take a picture of you three?”

“Uh, sure. Why not?” Jimin said. She gathered her younger brothers close to her and faced Kyungsoo. He smiled at them and held the camera up.

“Okay. 1…2…3!”

There was a click as the camera photographed the three siblings. In a matter of moments, the picture was done and Kyungsoo took it. His smile grew even wider. “Wow, you guys look great. Thank you,” he said.

“Are you a professional photographer?” Jimin asked curiously.

“You could say that,” Kyungsoo answered. She frowned at his cryptic answer but let it slide when she glanced at her watch.

“Oh, I’m really sorry but we have to go right now. It was nice meeting you and thank you for watching my brothers!” she exclaimed. The boys waved at Kyungsoo as their sister ushered them away. Kyungsoo waved back, his face practically glowing with joy.

When they were out of sight, Kyungsoo took another look at the photo in his hands. The three of them were smiling at the camera and Kyungsoo found himself staring at Jimin’s face. There was a spark of recognition and Kyungsoo chuckled.

He stuffed the photo gently into his coat pocket and began his journey home. It took about twenty minutes although it would have been five if he hadn’t stopped to take pictures of new things he saw. When he got back to the apartment, Kyungsoo headed into the kitchen to make a cup of hot cocoa. Unlike his superior, Kris, who had trouble drinking anything other than water Kyungsoo enjoyed the variety of tastes in the human world.

Placing the mug onto the coffee table, Kyungsoo began taping up his new photos. He wrote captions beneath each one, mentioning the date and what the photo was of. He picked up the hot cocoa again and took a sip, the hot sugary liquid warming up his entire body. A sigh of content left his lips and he stared at the last picture he had just taped onto the wall.

Underneath the photo the caption was written in his neatest handwriting. It said,

12/22/12 – Found mission target: Girl and her two brothers. Must succeed in giving them perfect Christmas present.

And underneath that caption, in even smaller handwriting Kyungsoo wrote a tiny note for himself,

Fell in love with her smile.