It's finally summer here in the Philippines, and I have finally, finally graduated! Although it isn't the end yet (I am an incoming freshman in high school) I'm really happy. All that hard work paid off and even though I'm upset about not being an academic honor, I received five medals, one of which was a leadership award that I still can't believe I have. I honestly thought that I was a horrible class officer, and just... Wow. 

Anyway, here's the update you guys have been waiting for! One more chapter (I think) and this will be over... My tears, you guys. Someone hand me tissue. TT_TT Thank you so much for staying with me, despite the turtle updates and the shameless rambling I put before and after updates. Thank you, also, for helping me get through the plagiarism issue and supporting me. If you guys could just make it to the end, eh? 

Well, here you go!

"The flower of exchange isn't difficult to find, but rather, difficult to get to. He's quite a different case, isn't he?" Murmured a figure dressed in white as she passed a hand over Myungsoo’s face, bits of the remaining magic in him flowing out of his body and into her hands.

Another angel, dressed in black, scoffed distastefully. "Does he love her this much? He was quite a powerful one too..." He continued to mutter about love being for idiots. It never did anyone any good, far as he knew.

"He'll never get it back. His immortality." An angel dressed in gray said quietly, transferring some of his power into an enchanted jar.  She looked at him wistfully, shaking her head at Myungsoo with a small smile on her face. “Ah, young love. What I would give to go back to those days...”

The first angel rolled her eyes at her companions. "The exchanged shall commence."

The gray angel poured water over the ground in front of them, and then muttered a spell under her breath. She opened her eyes, and the pupils that were once black were silvery white. The angel in black then said loudly. “Show us the girl!”

The water rippled and Jangmi came into view, fast asleep. Blood red sparks surrounded her, and the black angel moved aside for the white angel. “Let the girl’s curse be lifted, and this angel’s immortality be gifted.” She said clearly, and the red sparks flew from the water and into the gray angel’s jar. Myungsoo’s magic from within flew out and into the gray angel’s eyes, making them return to their original black color. When the ritual was over, they began to pack up their belongings.

"Foolish beings and their hearts." Muttered the black angel, earning him a slap in the arm from the gray angel. "Love has the power to make the impossible possible," Mused the white angel, smiling fondly at her siblings. "and leave the boy alone. You are arguing in his conscience."

The angel dressed in black ignored her. "Too much of a sacrifice, this is! Why should someone be so willing to give for someone other than their own self?" The gray angel shook her head with a distant look in her eyes. "You'll never understand. Love is a mystery."

A sigh.

"It is done. We’ve done our job. We must go.”

It is done.

*

Myungsoo woke up in an unfamiliar place. A neat, spacious apartment with monotone colored furniture. On the coffee table beside the couch he laid on was a white post it note.

Don’t ask how. We imagined you’d have a difficult time. We’ll take care of her. We promise.

It wasn’t signed, but could recognize Sunggyu’s hand writing.

“Alae,” Myungsoo muttered, but no wings sprung out of his back. “Celo,” He says more loudly, but nothing happened. He stood and walked over to a nearby mirror, but he can clearly see his reflection. His immortality was gone. His powers. His wings. Gone.

The moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains shone on Myungsoo’s face, emphasizing the tears forming in his eyes. He took a deep breath and murmured, “At least she’s safe now.”

*

Myungsoo made out fine after that. He discovered a DLSR Camera in a desk drawer a few days later, and he vaguely remembered Photography being his passion back then. Under the camera are stacks of paper, and upon closer inspection, he realized that it was documents – some fake, some real – about him: Birth certificate, report cards, diplomas from middle school, high school and university in which he majored in Multimedia Arts. He also found his old portfolio of pictures and an envelope thick with bills. For the first time in days, Myungsoo smiled. At least he wouldn’t have to climb up from the bottom. He had a head start.

He continued to take pictures of anything and everything; the sky, the park, the view outside his window, the children playing outside. One day, he saw Jangmi walking in the park near his apartment. Her back was ti him. Myungsoo took one step forward, and so did she. He called out her name, but she didn’t respond. Myungsoo then remembered the camera slung around his neck and he hurriedly took a picture. Since he found that she wouldn’t notice, perhaps couldn’t notice him, he headed home. But when he scrolled through the pictures in his SD card on his laptop, the shot she was supposed to be in seemed to have been altered. Where she should have been standing was no one.

He went on. He printed out the best of his pictures and added them to his thickening portfolio. Once he found it full enough, he began to go around applying to photograph for magazines, newspapers and even entertainment companies. He found himself having a steady job as an assistant photographer for a well-known magazine. From time to time, he got calls from other people requesting him as a photographer. He said yes to all. His life was going alright, and maybe, just maybe, he could go on living like this. He was alone, yes, but not lonely. He had all he ever needed.

*

Jangmi was feeling better than she ever imagined or hoped that she could feel after what happened. Instead of despairing over Myungsoo’s sacrifice, she decided it would be better to live on, like he would have wanted. She continued with her modeling, continued to do the things she loved, hang out with her friends, there was a lot of shopping going on whenever she was with Sungjong. Although, every night, she couldn’t help but wish that a familiar figure would be waiting for her, she soon got over the fact that they may never meet again. Somehow, she knew that he was happy. If he was happy, then she was happy.

Jangmi pulled out an old diary from inside her desk drawer, smiling when she saw the label ‘Plus’ on the cover. She rarely wrote in it nowadays, but she felt that she should today.

She looked back on the older entries written.

Dear Plus,

Last night was so much fun! We went shopping and bought ice cream. It’s the first time we’ve ever went out together. Maybe we should more often. We ran into a friend of his. His name was... Ali? Ile? Ili? I can’t remember. Something like that.

Anyway~ It was memorable and I just wish that I had brought my camera.

Love,

Minus

Dear Plus,

Guess what I found out? I’m going to die. Isn’t that just grand?

-Minus

Dear Plus,

Guess what? Myungsoo took me out (No, I did not drag him out. Never.) last night! I feel sorry because I ended up having him carry my things because there was a sale at Zara… Myeongdong is shopping paradise! Anyway, we had lots of fun.

Lots and lots of love,

Minus

Dear Plus,

I don’t know what would’ve become of me last night if L weren’t there… I’m so thankful for him.

-Minus

Dear Plus,

I took L out to my usual café today. We met up with Sungyeol and Moonsoo. It was so dramatic, but also really amusing. They haven’t changed one bit. I miss those days. So much.

Love,

Minus

Plus,

I can’t believe what L’s going to do! Why would he give up so much for me… He’s really an idiot. I’d die happy if I died the way I was before he left… God! He’s so stupid! When will he realize that all I need is him…

-Minus

I miss him.

And she smiled sadly at her entries. She grabbed a pen and wrote a new one, ripped the page out, folded it into a plane and threw it out the window.

*

As Myungsoo was heading out of his apartment, he heard the sound of paper crumpling as he stepped out of the building. He saw a paper airplane under his foot, and would’ve ignored it if he didn’t catch a glimpse of very, very familiar handwriting.

He opened the plane slowly, and smiled at the words written in it.

I’ll find my happiness somehow. I hope he does too.

*

Well, because it's vacation, and my summer workshop (I take Musical Theater) will begin in two weeks, I'll try to have this done by then!

FoeverB2UTY: Why, thank you! You're so sweet~ I've finally updated. I'm so sorry for the long wait!

faith-love: I've updated! Thank you so much for sticking around and waiting~