I swam deep down with the last bit of my energy and pulled the reaper out of the ocean. He looked the same, except the two holes in his back and a pale figure. Dragging his body back on the beach, I placed his head over my lap and lightly slapped his face. Dark eyes met my now white irises contoured with a deep blue.

“Hey,” he coughed and gave me a half-smile “you look like Hell.”

“Then Hell must be awesome,” I joked and he chuckled before coughing blood. Staring long at the liquid, it was indeed blood. “How is that even possible?”

“Sooyoung,” he wiped his mouth and closed back his eyes. “Do you know why I’m different?”

“Because you’re a carrot loving horse?”

He chuckled again.

“My body,” he placed his hand over his heart “is partly human. When Death created me, he kept my body intact and used it as material.”

“Cool, so my father’s a zombie,” I squeezed his hand. There was no heartbeat in his wrist.

“Sort of,” he chuckled and once more gazed back “now do me a favor, will you?” He smiled and brushed his thumb over my fingers. “Make sure I’m dead for good and don’t become a demon.”

“Jung... I mean, dad…” he frowned.

“That sounds weird.”

“Fine, face then,” he grinned.

“That’s more like it.”

“Stay with me,” I pleaded. “Look, G-Dragon here can get you up in the Other World and fix you a new set of wings. Then you can come back and help us here.”

“It’s too late Sooyoung,” he let go of my hand “you’re not the only one whose body starts to go away.” We locked pinkies. “Promise me this one.”

“I promise,” tears crawled at my corners before they fell down on Jung Min’s face “I promise I’ll do well.”

He smiled one last time before falling asleep.

“Is he…?” G-Dragon stared at Jung Min’s body before giving me a negative answer. No, he hadn’t completely ran out of energy. There was still some left. His soul was still in there. “Can you make him human?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re Death,” tears wouldn’t stop “Can you make him human right now?!”

“Yes,” he cocked his head to the right, the earring doing the same. “He can reincarnate. However, I cannot do it now. One soul must be sacrificed for another to be reborn and there is none for him.”

“I’ll get you that soul,” he took Jung Min's body from me and lifted it in his arms “Any soul, right?”

“Are you going to kill somebody?” he inquired with raised eyebrows. I scoffed and restrained any other outburst.

“I’ll get you a soul. You just reincarnate him today and make sure he has a wonderful life.”

“Sooyoung, do you know which soul was sacrificed so you could be born?” I remained silent. He smirked, turned around and started walking. “His.”

Yeah, I knew that smartass. He died the same day I was born, I’m not that stupid.

Ugh, those reapers and their dry comedic routines, always strutting with those wings like flying monkeys.

Laughing, my feet carried me back in the water.

They really are the worst, ah… playing games with everybody, even their own kind, ing things up.

Water reached my chest.

Maybe I should have polished my speech and include those reapers, not only humans.

I got back under, my body feeling like lead.

Humans are darlings.

I could hold my breath for a couple of minutes.

Last time I had to do that was when Daesung and I spotted a demon not far from our new home So we took our entire arsenal and followed that ugly thing until we reached a large lake. Because we were foolish enough to attack the demon without a well-built plan, I ended up in the lake. You know those lakes that look peaceful on the outside but hide vortexes, currents of air pulling your body under and it’s impossible to escape out of them alive? I got caught in one of those. Thankfully, Daesung took care fast of the demon and helped me get out in time.

It felt like then, only I wasn’t panicking at all.

“Who’s grandma, who! I’m Sooyoung, Sooyoung!”

Memories… my memories flashed before me.

“Daesung. Nice to meet you grandma Sooyoung!”

Ah, that kid… he gave me the nickname knowing I had been thousand years old by then. Yet I had no idea he was the same friendly ghost from childhood.

Pardon, I meant to say, the same friendly spirit. I could feel Yuri smacking me for insulting them.

“I swear I’ll be nice, I swear! I swear that no matter what, I’ll protect grandma the way grandma protects me!!!”

Daesung… ah, it’s impossible to cry under water, right?

“Stink man just told me. So you’re really a witch or something?”

God, that idiot… I can’t believe I fell for his lies.

“You’re prettier,”

“No I’m not. She’s perfect... intelligent, gorgeous, creative and warmhearted. I can’t wait to see what else she’s going to do for us.”

“Who cares? You’re better than her.”

Dae… Daesung…

“Yeah, you’re the best.”

The way he smiled, the way he gave me thumbs up or chickened whenever I was mad, the way he hugged me from behind and placed his head over my shoulder and left one kiss over my cheek, even if I was taller than him. The way he cried out, the way he punched his frustrations, the way he grabbed my hand and never let go – all of that came back.

“Let’s just go back home...”

“Home? I have no home.”

He wanted to see the Black Ocean with me. Together, we swore to come back another time. We swore.

“Yes you do! You have me, you have Yuri and you have Jung Min. We are your home wherever you go. So let’s just stop this time and go back.”

“That sounds kind of childish.”

“Childish or not, that’s how I lived... twice. Places don’t matter, people do. That Ocean will still be there one hundred years from now, so let’s just go back to the mountains, tend to your and the baby’s health and have a good life.”

We swore to come back.

“But I don’t even know what’s going to come out.”

“I don’t care. It’s our kid and that’s all I wanted... a second chance and you gave it to me. Now please also let me give you a second chance. Let’s stop being foolish and accept that some things are too hard to change.”

He knew. He knew since then something was wrong with Changmin and never once backed away.

“Are you a fatalist?”

“No, I’m just someone that went through a lot and wants just a little in return. Some destinies are set, some aren’t, but I know karma’s a ing … I mean... you make your own choice in life. And the one you are doing now has been breaking my heart.”

Breaking his heart, his heart… this will ing kill him.

Daesung… Daesung…

“Don’t go…”

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t appear in front of you the way I look now. I’d rather go like this.

“I love you.”

I’m so sorry.

“Hey Grandma!”

He was there, smiling as always, waving and jumping on spot, waiting for me.

My hands… my hands couldn’t reach him… my hands…

Darkness… only darkness.

“You’re the best!”

NOUP. NOUP. NOUP.

Oh, troll award of the year goes to my playlist. It started playing this while writing.