>_____<;;

Namjoo felt that complete form of warmth flow through her, but it lessened when Luhan withdrew his arm. She glanced at him quietly before turning away.

Whether to be happy that he was there or upset that he wasn’t telling her anything to ease these emotions coursing through her, she didn’t know. In the end Namjoo began walking away and focused her attention on the paper Victoria had given her. It was a useless attempt because all her attention went to the footsteps slowly following her. Namjoo gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the paper before she stopped.

“Can you leave? Disappear or something?” she slightly raised her voice. After a moment of staring at each other Namjoo felt irritation pelt through her. “You’re not leaving!?”

“What’s wrong?”

“You!” Namjoo spat before silence enveloped them. “I get frustrated every time you’re near. I’m always having these stupid emotions I can’t explain and you being so tight lipped makes it worse. I don’t want to feel like this anymore, it’s annoying and frustrating! And I hate it how every time you just leave, I have this gut empty feeling that’s always choking me.”

Namjoo almost felt sorry when she looked at him, but jumped when something popped behind her. Turning around she watched a cheap aluminum garbage can erupt into fire and turned to look at Luhan with a dumbfounded expression. On impulse she raced forward to try to stop the fire, but paused in front of it when she had no idea how to.

“Oh…this is bad…” she muttered before raindrops trickled on her and in instants rain started pouring.

Confused she tilted her head up to look at the clouds that had formed overhead.

“The hell…” she began mumbling, but was suddenly twisted around when Luhan threw his sweater over her.

“Stay dry,” he ordered before pulling her after him.

Namjoo was driven into confusion before she saw a small flight of white smoke swirling out from the tips of her fingers.

>_____<;;

Luhan pulled her into a tiny place behind a house with a low roof a block down. Boxes and old toys sat against the back wall that was no longer of any use. He let go of her wrist and glanced out to see the cold rain pouring down in millions. The roof didn’t provide enough shade, but at least they’d be able to stay somewhat dry.

He turned to glance at Namjoo who had suddenly sunk against the building and sat down. He had no clue if circumstances were still the same for her as it had been back then, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Without a word he sat next to her.

“The rain isn’t good for you,” he informed and turned to see her huddling to herself.

“Well that ,” Namjoo mumbled drawing his sweater over her.

They sat in silence for a long time just listening to the rain. Even if Namjoo didn’t know anything, it seemed like her soul remembered everything. During the silence Luhan thought about how it’d be if he ever told her their story. They’d laugh and cry, he thought. But no, Namjoo would be more hurt than overjoyed to see him again.

When he finally turned back to look at Namjoo he saw that her head was lying on her shoulder in a worrisome manner.

“Namjoo?” he called out to which she didn’t respond.

Concerned he hesitated before pulling her toward him. She was cold, he realized. Wrapping an arm securely around her he felt her head fall against his shoulder. Namjoo didn’t move.

“Don’t close your eyes, please don’t close your eyes,” he begged putting his hand against her face. “Namjoo, open your eyes.”

She didn’t respond even when he called. Giving up he pulled her into his arms before standing. Peering around to make sure that there were no peeking eyes he disappeared.

They appeared in Namjoo’s bedroom just a second later and he quickly lie her down before covering her with the blanket. Luhan reached down to pull her drenched hair out of her face and readjusted the blanket over her before turning around. He felt his hand swing back when Namjoo grabbed his pinky. His heart clearly started racing and he turned to see that her eyes were weakly opened.

“Don’t go.”

There was an ache in his heart somewhere and he forced himself to pull away. “I’ll be back.”

Luhan ran down the stairs to search for a towel and dampened it with water before filling a cup with some warm water. After climbing the stairs he paused outside of Namjoo’s bedroom and wondered what it was that he was doing. If he cared too much, he might end up crossing the line he’d promised himself not to. This was Namjoo’s life and he wasn’t the one who held the end of that red string of fate anymore. He didn’t have a right to interfere…but he’d missed her.

“After this…after this I won’t come and go as I like anymore,” he promised himself before pushing the door open.

Namjoo’s eyes were closed again when he entered, but upon hearing his entrance she opened them and pulled herself up.

“Are you a part-time nurse?” she asked.

He smiled at her before handing her the cup of water. “Drink it to warm yourself up.”

Luhan watched her take a sip of the water before taking a seat at the edge of the bed. The sight of her pale face made him feel apologetic. He’d heal her if he could, but he couldn’t do anything about a fever. Forgetting for a moment that they were in the present he reached forward to wipe the sweat gathering around her temples and froze after a second when he felt her stare burn into him.

When he looked at her he felt his heart cry. He wanted those days back, the days that had been theirs. He wanted them back so bad.

Quickly dropping the towel he got up to exit the room with a racing heart.

>_____<;;

Chorong smiled and waved to Suho while watching him run off with his jacket shielding him from the rain. She turned her engine on and worked her windshield wipers before driving back home. The travel back didn’t help ease her mind. The musical was still embedded in her mind and all she could think about was how unfair it had been for the pair of lovers to lose each other in death.

And Radames promise to search for Aida through the next hundred lifetimes if he had to…

Chorong thought about it for a long time before she suddenly realized the car in front of her had stopped. Her body jerked forward in her seat as she stepped on the brakes just in time and felt her heart pound in her ears.

If Luhan had been Namjoo’s soul mate, but was no longer meant for her, they’d also been separated unfairly. If her sister hurt as much and felt as lonely as she’d told her she did, Luhan must also feel the same pain, but at a thousand times more. He was an angel, not a human. Luhan had no choice, but to watch Namjoo fall in love and spend the rest of her eternity with someone who wasn’t him. And he couldn’t even say anything about it.

Chorong felt her heart ache more and the rain pelt down heavier.

“Just what is going on today,” she muttered.

She finally reached home 15 minutes later and ran all the way from the driveway to the front door. By the time she reached the door she was all wet. Suddenly she thought about the poor dog Suho had left outside and wondered what kind of condition the dog was in right now.

After shutting the door behind her she rushed up the stairs to change into dry clothes and thought she should call Namjoo to see where she was. However when she began dashing down the hallway the door to Namjoo’s room opened and Luhan ran out. She heard him take a deep breath and closed the door behind him before the both of them froze and stared at one another.

Dumbfounded for about half a minute she stared at him lost and confused.

“You…Namjoo…” the words dropped out.

“She…she’s inside,” Luhan explained. “She…she caught a fever. The rain isn’t good for her.”

Chorong slightly frowned at him then asked, “Can I talk to you for a second?”

After changing into something dry she met with Luhan in the kitchen. He was standing there quietly running his eyes over the shelves when she walked in. Chorong set her eyes on him and wondered why he had run out of Namjoo’s room looking the way he had.

“Luhan, I heard about what you and Victoria talked about,” Chorong began, “doesn’t your heart hurt?”

His blank gaze turned serious.

“You love her, don’t you?” Chorong asked. “I don’t know what happened to you; why you’re an angel now, but I know you must’ve been watching Namjoo for a long time before you decided to appear. Just…what I’m saying is, don’t you want to appease yourself?”

“I’m not allowed to. Namjoo’s not my soul mate anymore.”

“Who cares about the rules,” Chorong suddenly ruled out, “you’re finally here now, aren’t you? And I know Namjoo’s been swooning over this connection she feels with you. Tossing aside the fact that you’re not human, you still have a heart. If you love her, why don’t you just go for it before you really lose her again? After this, you’re never going to be able to interact with her. Don’t you think it’ll hurt you more then?”

A moment of silence passed between them and Chorong wasn’t sure why she was so fired up. She didn’t get it. If this person loved her sister, what was keeping him?   

“Why?”

“Because Namjoo shouldn’t have to lose someone who means something to her like me,” Chorong said. “Don’t let her get hurt because you decided to show up. People who were once soul mates, can’t they be it again?”

She watched as her words triggered some kind of warring emotions in his sad eyes before the door opened and closed.

“Chorong?” Victoria called out.

Chorong glanced at Luhan once more. “Don’t leave until you see Namjoo.”

Turning away from him she made her way out of the kitchen to find Victoria soaking wet.

“Did you track mud into the house?” Chorong asked.

“It’s the weather’s fault,” Victoria mumbled.

“Mine.”

“What?”

“Yep.”

Victoria gave her a very confused frown before grabbing her arm and pushed her into the kitchen. When they got back in Luhan was nowhere in sight.

“So, I found Byun Tae Won,” Victoria explained, “he says that when he found mom, there was no knife on site. That means someone else put it there.”

“Then what do we do now?” Chorong asked.

“Officer Park, we need to find him,” Victoria said breathlessly, “should’ve listened to Namjoo. We just took the long way around.” Victoria groaned before asking, “Where is she? Oh god, she could be stuck out there…”

Chorong shook her head, which immediately caught Victoria’s attention.

“She’s upstairs. Luhan brought her back. Said something about the rain is bad for her,” Chorong explained.

“Luhan?” Victoria repeated with a stark frown.

Chorong nodded. “I honestly think he’s afraid of something. Or else, why when he loves our sister, doesn’t he do something about it?”

“Afraid of what? What would a guardian angel have to be afraid of?” They quieted before Victoria asked, “Then what about Namjoo? She can’t just already love him.”

“Actually, I don’t think our Namjoo has to already be in love,” Chorong pointed out, “it’s what’s inside of Namjoo that knows. She’s reincarnated since the Joseon Dynasty, hasn’t she? She’s still the same person who knew what happened then. Of course she’s been happy with Chanyeol, but she’s always going on about how something is missing and isn’t that why she keeps running away from him? I think that missing piece is Luhan.”

Victoria’s eyes burned into Chorong before she said, “You think about this a lot, don’t you?”

“Well…”

“How was your date today?”

Chorong slightly looked away before turning to look at Victoria, “It was the musical we saw. Aida, it’s called Aida. It’s about a love triangle; Aida, Radames, and Amneris who’s betrothed to him. At the end of the story Radames and Aida are arrested for treason and buried alive. Before they die, Radames promises that he’ll search for Aida through a hundred lifetimes to find her again if he has to. And I…and I thought about Luhan. If he’s been Namjoo’s guardian since after the Joseon Dynasty, doesn’t that mean he’s watched her fall in love with someone else countless times? Imagine how it must hurt him. And…I just don’t want Namjoo to lose him like how I lost Woohyun.”

“Oh…Chorong…” Victoria moved over to rub her back.

Allowing herself to lean against Victoria Chorong felt her heart break again.

“Actually, I miss him a lot, Victoria,” Chorong cried.

“I know, I know you do.”

>_____<;;

Luhan paused in front of Namjoo’s bedroom again and hesitated. What would he say to her? What would she say to him? How would he answer her?

Turning the knob he entered her room to find Namjoo asleep. Nearing her he tucked her hand into the blanket and readjusted it over her before reclaiming his earlier seat at the edge of the bed. Namjoo had set the damp towel aside on the bedside table alongside the cup of water.

Throughout the silence he could hear her calm breathing and reached forward to run his hand down the side of her face and into her hair. His heart ached. He loved her so much, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

“You can hear me, right?” he softly spoke. “I’m so sorry that I put you through what I did. I’m sorry I couldn’t come back to you. No matter what you did, I love you. You know that, right?”

His lips trembled and he ran his thumb over her frail cheek. Whether Namjoo had really been listening or not, the answer came to him a second later when a fresh tear slid down her face the same as it did his.

A smile shook his lips before he slowly leaned forward to hug her before disappearing.

>_____<;;

When Namjoo’s eyes opened the next morning she sat up and felt her heart sink inside her chest. A sort of pain throbbed there really heavily before she pulled herself up to look around the room.

Yes, she was certainly alone, but why did she feel like her chest was heavier than ever? Something inside her didn’t feel right. Namjoo was suddenly depressed and very, very lonely.

When she began to get up she finally remembered Luhan had given her his sweater. Reaching her hand up she touched the sweater and felt her heart leap when the door open at the thought that it was him, but only Chorong appeared.

“You’re up?” she asked. “Are you hungry?”

Namjoo ignored her and continued looking around.

“Are you looking for your guardian angel?”

“Did…he leave?”

“I suppose he did.” Chorong quietly replied.

And again, Namjoo felt that empty feeling choke her from inside.

“I don’t feel good, Chorong,” Namjoo’s voice shook.

Chorong took a few steps forward before she sat on the bed and patted her on the back.

“It’ll be ok,” Chorong comforted.

There was a slight knock on the door before Victoria poked her head in.

“Chanyeol’s here,” she told. “Should I send him away? Or are you ok with seeing him?”