THE BEGINNING

 

BAEKHYUN

 

Baekhyun woke up to the blast of his alarm clock at exactly 6:35am. Fumbling his way to the kitchen, he made a quick stop to turn off the night lamp--something he didn't bother (read: dare) to do the night before.

 

 

 He also made a quick work in replacing the already dying incense in the hallway with a new one. The sticks were colored pink unlike the usual purple ones he honestly prefered.

 

 

  Not like he really mind...

 

 

 ...as long as it keeps them away, he'll be fine.

 

 

He cautiously walked towards the kitchen where he silently prays that he won't find anything that doesn't belong there.

 

 

Like the little girl in white he found sitting on the counter the other day. (he would have found her cute if not for the huge gash on her forehead and the fact that she's dead)

 

 

He's not scared of them, he'd always say to himself. It's just that they choose to appear unannounced at times when he's unprepared (read: always).

 

 

He heaved a sigh of relief when he found the kitchen completely normal and managed to proceed to his breakfast without anyone (or anything) disturbing his morning digestion. He padded straight to the shower after eating and managed to take a bath (again, normally).

 

 

Just as he was on his way out, however, he noticed a faint shadow casted on the tiled floor. This made him look up and give out a scream that could possibly wake up his neighbors (honestly, his neighbors had already deemed his early morning hysteria normal and had used his screaming as their daily alarm clock now).

 

Up on the corner of the ceiling is a woman, cheeks hollowed and mouth hanging open so wide it makes Baekhyun think that her jaws were probably already detached. Her scalp could be seen through patches where most of her hair is gone and what used to be her eyes are now nothing but two gaping holes in her face.

 

Too much for a normal day... Baekhyun thought as he dashed his way to the safety of his bedroom.

 

 

ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(;￣◇￣)┘

 

 

CHANYEOL

 

 

"!!" Chanyeol continued cursing aloud and tried kicking at a stray soda can lying on the street. Unfortunately, his feet only managed to pass through it, making the usually gentle giant even more frustrated.

 

 

He aimlessly walked around the streets of Hongdae, trying to remember how he became...this.

 

 

Well, he was walking out of the guitar shop where he had his 'baby' fixed...

 

 

He was on his way to meet Kris...

 

 

And then there was this van...

 

 

The memory came flooding to his head and his body started aching where he was injured the most. He ruffled his black locks in frustration...damn it. He just had his haircut too.

 

 

"Aaagh!! Fu---"

 

 

"whoa there...careful with the language." A voice stopped his words midway. Chanyeol looked back to see a boy, probably younger than him by a year or so, with dark skin and plump lips. He was wearing an amused grin and his hand moved to point a finger upwards. "He's not a fan of curses ya'know."

 

 

Chanyeol scoffed a 'whatever' and turned to continue on his way to wherever his feet would take him. A few seconds later and he suddenly felt an arm around his shoulder. He didn't bother to hide his irritation at the tanned lad and swiped the arm away from him.

 

 

"awww c'mon!! I just wanted to help" Chanyeol stopped on his tracks and stared at the boy.

 

 

"help? I'M ING DEAD!! HOW THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO HELP?!"

 

 

"Calm down my friend" he shook his head and approached Chanyeol. "I can help you in more ways than you can imagine."

 

 

"You're not my friend. I don't even know you."

 

 

"My apologies." he held out a hand "The name's Jongin. Been dead for two years and currently an angel in training."

 

 

Chanyeol didn't bother taking Jongin's hand and just stood there staring.  This, however, didn't faze the tanned boy. "as I've been saying, new souls like you needs a lot of guidance. Or else---"

 

 

"or else what?"

 

 

"or else you'll be like that guy over there."

 

 

Chanyeol turned to see a man--more like a ghost--appear beside a couple. The pair seemed to be fighting over something.

 

 

On normal days, Chanyeol would probably find this sight uninteresting and would just go on.  However, something strange was happening. It seems that as the pair fights, a dark mist appears around them. It then slowly disappears as the guy who showed up started absorbing it.

 

 

That's when Chanyeol finally took notice of the guy's appearance.

 

 

His skin was a sickly shade of gray and his eyes were pale shades of lavender. His veins shows through his skin and his back is slightly hunched.

 

 

The grin he gave Chanyeol was spine-chilling. It was so creepy he wanted to run. But for some reason, his feet stood rooted to the ground and his body felt frozen. He could feel his heart pounding on his throat when he realized that the man had turned and was on his way towards him.

 

 

Chanyeol was broken out of his trance when he felt someone grip him on the arm. Before he could even blink, he found himself in an alleyway two blocks away from where he was before.

 

 

"I forgot to tell you not to stare." A panting Jongin stood beside him, hand still gripping his arm. "Those guys could look rickety but they move pretty fast when food's right in front of them. Good thing I'm still faster." he laughed quietly as he regained his breathing.

 

 

"W-What the hell was that?!"

 

 

"Demons. They used to be spirits just like us but existing with humans for too long had taken a toll on them." Jongin stopped dusting dirt from his shirt to check if the taller was listening. "That black cloud you saw earlier comes out of humans when they're filled with negative stuffs; anger, hate, jealousy, those kinds. We absorb them unknowingly as time goes by. From what I know, it takes around 40 days before we turn into one. We start feeding on those mists, and eventually we start eating other spirits too."

 

 

Chanyeol's eyes grew wide as he stared at Jongin. "y-you mean..."

 

 

"that guy actually wanted to eat you."

 

 

Chanyeol felt a wave of terror pass, and then a thought hit him. "wait. Does that mean you--"

 

 

"I'm not a demon, idiot!" Jongin muttered his apology as a soft but sudden rumble rolled through the clouds. "as I was saying, I'm an angel in training. Besides, I have my soulmate so I'm safe."

 

 

Chanyeol choked on his own saliva with the younger's words "say what again?"

 

 

"I'm an angel---"

 

 

"no no. The part about the soulmate thingie."

 

 

"I have my soulmate so I'm safe." Jongin tried to hide his irritation when Chanyeol bursted out laughing.

 

 

"seriously man, I know people could get cheesy when they die but SOULMATES??"

 

 

"as funny as it sounds, it's actually true." chanyeol's laugh subsided when he realized that Jongin was being serious.

 

 

"S-So...about those demons." he coughed awkwardly. "If you managed to get through two years..."

 

 

"three things to remember: first, you need to finish whatever business you still have here. That 40 day limit is actually the time span given for spirits to do everything under an angel's guidance. After that, you're on your own. Second, you need to stay away from people you think could do you harm. You can't always see the mist and I won't always be here to help so you need to be cautious. And third, find your soulmate."

 

 

"again with the soulmate? Seriously?" 

 

 

"I'm serious! As the term implies, the two of you have linked souls. His would filter yours from the smoke you've come in contact with. Thus, you can keep yourself pure 'til the day you're ready to cross-over."

 

 

Right after speaking, the both of them heard the creaking of a metal door and a faint 'see you tomorrow'. Jongin couldn't stop the smile from tugging up his lips. "And speaking of soulmate, here comes mine." he whispered before turning around to face the boy who had just come out through the building's back entrance.

 

 

The said boy has a pair of wide doe eyes which seemed to sparkle through the alley's shadow. He was shorter than Jongin by a head and he had this innocent aura surrounding him. His gaze drifted to the two of them and softly smiled as he went near.

 

 

"Jongin..." his voice was so sweet it could lull the two of them to sleep.

 

 

Jongin's smile was wide as he draped an arm over the boy. "This is Kyungsoo. He could see us by the way." Kyungsoo bowed and gave him a smile.

 

 

"anyway, we need to go. Remember what I told you okay?" Chanyeol nodded absentmindedly.

 

 

"see you around, Chanyeol."

 

 

They disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving Chanyeol dumbfounded when he realized that he never told Jongin his name.

 

 

He shook his head and sat on an old box, trying his best to process everything in his head.

 

 

He's been dead for just nearly 2 hours and his head was already reeling from too much information.

 

 

What the hell ever happened to 'eternal rest'? 

 

 

He heaved out a sigh and jumped off his seat, shaking his head as he walked out of the alley.

 

 

Right. Soulmate. Where on earth to start?

 

 

 

 

A/N: Feedbacks would be very much appreciated...thank you for reading <3