Sungyeol decides to wear black today.

The color of mourning; it represents his heart and how he feels about the upcoming day. It also represents how he felt over the past few days, due to the news he received involving an important family member.

But that doesn’t mean he’s within the vicinity of his home, no. A few days ago, he ran away from there, knowing that he played no important role and by his own incredible luck, he was taken in by a couple who never had the chance to have a child in their own home. At first, it was pity, sympathy, considering that Sungyeol was but an underage teen- scrawny and timid, but eventually, the woman was smitten by his shy, humble persona and the man, being the one who took more careful steps, relented to his wife’s wishes the more he took the time to get to know Sungyeol. When the day ended with them having their conversation at a local park, the couple decided to let the boy stay with them until he had everything resolved.

Sungyeol has his doubts, however. His actual parents- they had never cared for him and he knew that they never did file him as a proper member of the family. His memories of them were far and in between, due to the fact that they had their business trips to attend to, leaving him with a couple of caretakers who visited him only during meal times.

A black sheep, his father once told him when he was younger, You are the bad luck within this family and if it wasn’t for your grandmother, you would’ve been left for dead the moment you were born into this life. Just how you should’ve been.

It hurts to know that his own family despised him. His grandmother, the only person who ever loved him, passed away right before he ran and disappeared into the street. It was strange, however; as much as he knew, his grandmother was in pretty good health and his visit to her home just a week prior was proof of it. She greeted him exuberantly and treated him to her homemade goods, which he absolutely loved.

To find that she’s now gone from the world still brings him disbelief.

And as for the funeral and everything, he doesn’t know. Would his parents even hold one for his grandmother? He knew how much they didn’t want her in their lives either.

A stray tear slides down Sungyeol’s cheek without him knowing as he stands in front of window of his room. He’s blankly eying the empty space that holds nothing but a line cutting between the lush field of grass and the street. The sun is barely rising across the horizon, splaying rays of orange, red, and gold.

“Sungyeol? Are you awake?”

He blinks a couple of times at the sound of his foster mother’s voice before he turns to face the door. “Ah, yeah. I’m up.” He’s surprised when his voice begins to crack at the end of it and he’s sure the woman notices that too. However, she doesn’t comment on it. “Alright. Just wanting to let you know that breakfast is ready.”

“I’ll be right there.” He pauses for a moment and when he hears the footsteps traveling away from his room, he sighs a little.

He hopes his days start off well and that his grandmother will watch him from above.

--

His day does go well, much to his surprise.

And by the time he retreats to his room, sated and full and loved, he wishes this would never end.

The days after that, the colors he wear blooms.

--

He lets out a hum of approval as he lifts his hand with the pen beneath his chin. So far, he finds Sungyeol’s current situation to be favorable. There’s no violence involve- just a quaint familial moment between him and his new parents.

There’s just one problem about this- eventually, his real parents will find him. It’s an only matter of time.

Dipping his pen into the small jar of ink, he continues to write.

--

The years pass by peacefully and Sungyeol is much happier than he had in his whole life. Even though he skipped a lot of school time (he’s homeschooled now), he’s content helping around with the woman who smiles at him whenever he offers his help, whether it’s cooking for lunch or cleaning around the house. The best moments for him, however, is around dinner. He and the couple would sit around the table, eating home cooked meals and having lively conversations.

It’s the kind of family bonding that he’s always wanted with his own family.

He shakes his head as he laughs over a joke his foster father mentions when he was having lunch with his fellow employees. His foster mother chirps in with a giggle.

Who is to say that’s not what he has already? His real parents didn’t bother looking for him after all these years.

He thinks it’s time to forget them for good.

--

Another month passes and this time, Sungyeol has a foreboding feeling that something’s going to happen soon. An image of his mother and father pops into his mind for a moment but he pushes it away.

It can’t be them, can it? He hopes not.

--

His concerns become reality when the front door was kicked down and men dressed in black and carrying guns makes their way into the household. It’s a Sunday and everyone happens to be home.

His foster mother reacts first; from the kitchen, there’s a back door and she pushes Sungyeol out of it without another thought, telling and urging him to run as she shuts the door behind her. The male stumbles back and knocks on the door a couple of times, about to yell out in confusion when gunshots fill the air.

He freezes, because suddenly, he knows what is going on.

After a few seconds, his eyes go teary as he takes a couple steps back and runs.

--

He stops for a moment, tapping the end of the pen against the book.

This is not how it’s supposed to go. How can those men simply interfere and destroy the lifestyle he’s trying to preserve?

Just as he quickly dips the pen in ink and presses it down against the paper surface, his vision blurs for a moment. He rubs his eyes out of puzzlement and the next thing he knows, he’s standing in the middle of a deserted alleyway.

He gazes around the area with wide eyes. How did he manage to come here, into the mortal realm? He’s sure that he has done nothing except writing into the book.

Unless…the book transported him here?

The questions continue to run through his mind but he instinctively flinches when he hears a slight shift nearby. And that’s when he catches sight of Sungyeol. The boy is staring up at him, meeting his gaze with surprise. His right shoulder is bleeding through the t-shirt he wears.

But that’s not the only thing; what shocks him the most is the question that slips through the boy’s lips.

“Who…are you?” The question is spoken so softly and he thinks he can actually feel the pain as Sungyeol does. He grimaces at that before he raises a hand over his chest, ignoring the fact that a human can see him. A small part of him whispers from the back of his mind, You should appreciate it. The very human whose life you altered is speaking to you. You probably won’t have another chance like this.

He can’t agree more.

“I’m someone who wants to help.” He responds, barely audible enough for the other male to hear as he reaches down in attempt to pick him up. But as he does, his vision shifts and they finds a desk and a half written page instead.

He doesn’t understand.

And that’s when he carefully eyes the book. Surprise is then written over his face at what he has found.

The next few sentences contain writing that he doesn’t find familiar. They’re too curvy, too feminine to be his own writing. Eventually, he comes to a realization- Sungyeol’s life is taken over by the book itself.

Suddenly, the door is slammed open, jerking him into reality as he is faced with a pair of spears on either side of him, trapping him.

He swivels his chair around completely and from there, he meets the eyes of his

“Book keeper Kim Sunggyu, you are now under arrest for the interference and alteration of a mortal’s life.”

Steadying his gaze to the male before him, he lets a bitter smile grace his lips and slowly, he rises to his feet, allowing the guards to capture and lead him out of the room.

As they empty the room, the book is left open and bold, curvy words continue to run across the paper as Sungyeol’s life progresses and spirals further down into yet another sad fate.

To be continued.

a/n: sorry for taking so long OTL
I was debating (for a long time) whether I should based this on a modern era or a fantasy one. This was the result.
So, uhm, I'm dedicating this fic to minsoph74, kanigara, and sicajoo, as well as those who subscribed. Thank you for making me smile. I'll update the second half soon <3
( hope you guys didn't feel too sad about this chapter ;; )