Prologue

*Yawn*

It’s the start of a new day!

*Click*

As I began my morning routine, I the television.

“Today we’re visiting the lucky winner of our around-the-world trip sweepstakes!” The reporter on TV said.

Wow, a trip around the world. I wish I could do that… I continued to stare at the television. Hey, the apartment complex they’re showing kind of looks like… Mine…

*Ding Dong*

Huh? Who could be ringing the doorbell at this time of day…?

“Coming!” I shouted as I ran downstairs.

I put my hand on the doorknob and when I opened the door, I saw- Wait! Isn’t that the reporter that was just on TV, and there’s a cameraman behind him!!

“Congratulations!” The reporter said.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“You’ve won a trip around the world!” He smiled.

“What? I don’t think I even entered.”

The reporter looked at the camera, “Here we have _______, the winner of our sweepstakes!” He turned back to me and shoved his microphone in my face, “How do you feel?”

“Um, are you sure you have the right person? I really don’t think I-”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Just be happy you won!” The reporter winked at me, “Enjoy your trip!”

He handed me a large envelope and my door slammed shut.

I stared at the door, still in a daze and blinked a few times, “W-What just happened…?”

I decided to just go ahead and open the envelope. There really are plane tickets in here… Huh? There’s something else in here too. Some kind of card.

“This… T-This is…”

A tarot card? The Devil? Confused, I looked at the clock.

“Oh no! If I don’t hurry, I’m gonna be late!!” I said.

I ran around the house, quickly getting dressed, brushing my teeth, hair, etc. I bolted out the door and down the street when I was stopped by a strange black dog, charging toward me!

*Thump*

I fell to the ground from the dog jumping on me, “Ow!”

*Snap*

Aish! The heel on my high heels broke off! What a terrible start to a day!

“Omo! Are you okay!?”

I looked up and saw a man with short brown hair and another man behind him with black hair.

“Oh dear, I’m so sorry!” The brown haired one said, then turned to the other man, “Yesung, let’s give her the shoes.”

“H-Huh?”

“Allow me to apologize for Choco.”

“C-Choco?” I questioned.

“Yes, Choco. That’s the name of the dog that crashed into you just now. I’m watching him for a friend of mine while he’s out of town.” The brown haired one smiled, then turned back to the black haired man, “Come on, Yesung. Hurry up.”

The man named Yesung said nothing, but reluctantly handed me a box.

I looked up at him, “... A-Are you sure?”

“Just take it.” The one named Yesung said bluntly.

“O-Okay.”

I opened the box to find brand new high heels, but these aren’t just ordinary heels…

“T-These are made by G-Gucci!”

Gucci shoes are so expensive I couldn’t buy them even if I wanted to!

“Tch. I doubt they’ll look good on you anyway.” The boy named Yesung had said.

“Nonsense! I’m sure they’ll look gorgeous on you. Why don’t you try them on?” The brown haired one said, “This is a present from me to you.”

“Thank you but, I don’t know if I can accept such high-class shoes…”

“Oh don’t worry about that. I own the company that makes them.”

“What!?” I was shocked, “You own Gucci?”

“Tch. Just put the on already, will you?” The boy named Yesung suddenly grabbed the shoes from me and put them on for me.

I looked down at them. Wow, they fit perfectly!

But when I looked back up, “Thank y-” They were gone!

I looked next to me. Huh? There are black feathers on the ground… Where did all these come from? I checked my watch. Oh man! Now I’m even more late! I stood up and steadied myself on the new heels before quickly running toward work.

Jeez, there have been so many weird things happening today!

“It’s not like you to be late, _______!” My best friend Eun Mi said.

“It’s only morning and it’s already been a long day…” I replied.

Eun Mi looked down at the floor, “Whoa! Are those Gucci shoes!?”

I looked down at my feet, “Yeah, I didn’t buy them myself though…”

“Hey, _______”

I looked up. It’s that guy who just transferred to my department. He’s supposed to be some big hotshot, personally I think he’s kind of an …

He walked toward me, “You got plans tonight?”

“Huh?” I thought for a moment, “Oh, n-not really…”

“Good.” He smirked, “We’re having dinner together, so don’t make any.”

“What?”

He said nothing but his heel and walked away. I stood motionless and speechless as I watched him walk away.

“Whoa! What’s going on here? When did you two get so close?” Eun Mi asked me.

I looked at her, “We haven’t even really talked though…”

She smiled at me and nudged my arm playfully, “Maybe you’re finally starting to get popular with the guys.”

Popular huh.. Good things just keep happening today…

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

By the time is was seven o’clock, my co-worker and I were already having dinner at the fancy restaurant downtown, Serendipity.

“You not hungry or something?” He asked.

“No, I just… I’ve never been to such a fancy restaurant before so I’m nervous…” I smiled awkwardly.

He seems pretty comfortable here though. More comfortable than I am, that’s for sure…

“I see. To tell you the truth, I’m nervous too.” He said.

“Huh?”

“I’ve always wanted to ask you out to dinner like this.” He gave me a sweet smile.

I’ve never seen him smile like that. Best. Day. Ever.

“Something wrong?” He looked at me questioningly.

“O-Oh, nothing! I was just, um, looking at your tie clip. It’s kind of unusual.” I lied.

“You like it?” He asked, “It’s shaped like a skull. This thing’s a charm actually…”

A skull shaped charm? I shook the thought out of my head.

Changing the subject I said, “By the way, I’m really happy we could-”

*Hey! I’m Mr. Simple~*

Me co-worker looked at me weird, “A phone call? From who?”

I looked at the caller ID, “My sister… Sorry, can you excuse me for a bit?”

I stood up and began walking away from the table while I answered the phone.

“Hello? Hey! You’ll never guess what happened. I won a trip around the world and-” I stopped my sentence and realized that my co-worker was standing behind me.

“_______.” He said my name almost in a whisper.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, “I only want you looking at me… Okay?”

Gently, he plucked the phone out of my hand and hung up on my sister. I was too much in a daze to realize everything that was happening.

“Pardon me! Sorry to ruin the moment.” The chef said making both of us turn our heads.

“You mind reading the mood for a bit?” My co-worker asked.

“I’ve brought you a special cake creation!” The chef said.

My co-worker looked at him weird, “I didn’t order one.”

“Oh no. you see, when I saw this fine lady, I felt a flash of inspiration.”

“M-Me?” I looked at the chef confused.

“Hey, isn’t that the famous Chef Cho?” Someone from another table said.

“I’d heard he was good-looking, but he really is handsome!” Another person said.

The chef smirked at me, “What do you think? I haven’t felt this kind of inspiration in a long time.”

I looked at the cake he had brought us, “It looks delicious! What’s this decoration in the center?”

“Ah yes, I modeled it after a scythe.” He replied.

I was taken back a bit, “W-Why a scythe?”

The chef leaned toward me and whispered in my ear, “Because I want to reap your heart with a scythe.”

I pulled back at looked at him confused, shocked, and a bit scared.

“Sorry, but I’ll be the one to harvest her heart.” My co-worker butted in.

“Those two studs are fighting over her!” One of the ladies at the other table said.

“That’s so dreamy!” The other said.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

After my co-worker and I finished our ‘date’, I headed home alone and thought about my day… It was awful weird! I won a trip around the world, was given fabulous shoes, and went out to dinner with the guy that everyone at the office has their eyes on. His smile sure is breathtaking… I feel like I’m using up my entire life's worth of luck in one day. Is that even possible…? Behind me I heard a dog barking and I turned around. That’s the same dog from this morning!

*Thump*

Ow… I looked at the dog that was on top of me. He barked in my face so I pushed him off of me.

“Yah! Shoo!” I said.

I was having such good luck today! Why does it have to end like-

Suddenly a deafening explosion rang out. I looked behind me at my apartment complex. A room exploded!? Wait, is that… THAT’S MY ROOM!!!

“What!? Why!?” I shouted.

“Jeez, who messed up?” A man (whom kinda looked like the chef from earlier) asked.

“Hey, how come you’re hanging around out here?” Is that my… Co-worker!?

“Why are you here!?” I asked him confused.

“Now my plan is ruined, thanks to you.” My co-worker said, “You were supposed to be toast after that explosion in your room.”

“T-Toast…?” I questioned and thought for a moment, “Wait, that explosion happened because my toaster caught on fire!?”

My co-worker facepalmed, “... Are you serious?”

“Blown to smithereens. Burnt to a crisp, toast. Do you understand, _______?” The other man that looked like the chef said.

“W-What on Earth are you talking about!?”

“_______, you died in an explosion due to a gas leak and went to Heaven. Well… That was the plan anyway…” That guy from earlier that gave me the shoes is here too!?

“You’re the guy from Gucci- Wait, how come you know my name?”

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you?” It’s that other guy… Wasn’t his name Yesung or something?

“Excuse me?” I said to him.

“Don’t you get it? Just hurry up and get this over with so I can go home and sleep.” The guy named Yesung said.

“It’s not just her that’s an idiot, Yesung. It’s the entire human population.” My co-worker said.

“Wha- Wait, you’re a human too!” I said.

“Nope,” He replied, “I’m a demon.”

“... Ehh?” I was completely confused now.

He put his face right up next to mine, “Get it through your thick skull, human. We’re demons, and we’re here to take your soul. Once we have your soul, we’ll recycle it into a new human. It’s eco-friendly.”

I blinked a few times. There was a moment of awkward silence before I bursted out laughing.

“Pfft! You guys are funny!” I continued laughing, “You sure your head’s screwed on right?”

Suddenly my co-worker lifted his hand up. In an instant, the raging fire in my room subsided.

My co-worker put his hand down, “Do you understand?”

I was speechless… I-Is he serious…? Now that I think about it, only my room was burning…

“Was… Was I the only one who was scheduled to die?” I asked.

“You can’t change destiny. We don’t have the power to alter people’s life spans.” A person behind me said.

I turned around, “The reporter!? You too!?”

“We made you happy today. Aren’t you satisfied?” The man with the dog asked.

“So that’s why all that happened…” I said to myself.

The sweepstakes, the Gucci shoes, the cake, the date… All of it was fake!

“Let’s get this over with.” My co-worker said, “Stay still.”

He reached his hand towards me…

“Ten days!” I shouted suddenly.

“Huh?” My co-worker put his hand to a hault.

“Ten days. Please, just give me ten days.” I said.

The all stared at me shocked and confused, without saying a word.

“T-There are some things I still want to take care of…” I added, “If you can just give me ten days, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Sorry.” My co-worker was the first one to speak.

He grabbed my wrists.

“Aw, come on. It couldn’t hurt, right?” The fake reporter asked, “Her time and cause of death have already changed. The angels are going to file a claim over this anyway.”

“If we finish it now, no one will have to know about our mistake.” My co-worker said, “I don’t want to have to do this, but don’t struggle. I’m going to take you to Heaven.”

“N-No! Stop! Somebody help me!” I shouted.

“No dice. We set up a barrier so we won’t be seen by other humans.” My co-worker smirked.

“No…” I whispered.

The fake Chef patted me on the head like I was a child, “Sorry. It’s so sad to have to turn a pretty little thing like you into toast. You don’t have to be so sad though! The angels resurrect all the souls we collect into new bodies. It’s the circle of life.”

I looked up at him, “... That doesn’t really make me feel better.”

“Ugh, will you just shut up already?” My co-worker complained, “Whatever. You’re toast.”

“Yeah, we’re only getting more off schedule by the second.” The Gucci man with the dog said.

“But wasn’t your dog the cause of this, Donghae?” The fake reporter asked.

Huh? the dog saved my life…?

“He’s right.” The one named Yesung said, “It’s that dumb dog’s fault our plan go messed up.”

“Keep your voice down.” The fake Chef said, “The angels might hear us.”

Wait, if the angels can hear us, then…

“So, you’re saying I didn’t die because you made a mistake?” I asked.

“Yeah.” My co-worker said, “This has never happened before. That dog messed it all up at the end. Why are you aski-”

“ANGELS!” I shouted.

Everyone stared at me shocked.

My co-worker stared at me, “What do you think you’re-”

“I thought that the angels might still be able to hear us inside the barrier.” I replied.

“How did you know that?” The fake reporter asked.

“Shoot.” The fake Chef said, “Maybe she figured it out from what we said…”

“ANGELS! CAN YOU HEAR ME?” I shouted again.

“Cut it out!” My co-worker yelled, “I don’t want this to take any longer than it already is!”

“That’s just going to make me scream louder.” I said, “ANGE--mmph!” My co-worker put his hand over my mouth.

“Are you trying to threaten us?” He asked.

I nodded.

“She’s got guts. I’ll give her that…” The one named Yesung said.

“Even if we give you ten days, that won’t change the fact that you’re toast.” The Gucci man said.

I moved my co-workers hand from my mouth, “Ten days is enough! I have things I want to do still!”

“Why don’t we just give her the ten days?” The fake reporter said, “She said she’d listen to us after that.”

The fake Chef turned to him, “We’d have to hide from Heaven for that whole time, you know? There’s no way we can hide a human for a while ten days.”

The fake reporter looked a bit sad, “But…”

“... Fine. I’ll give you ten days.” My co-worker finally said.

“Really?!” I asked happily.

“Just don’t yell for the angels again. I hate angels. The last thing I want right now is a lecture from them. Plus…” He grabbed my jaw and looked me straight in the eyes, “A woman who makes a deal with a demon… For a human, you’re pretty interesting.”

What’s that supposed to mean?

“If Heechul says it’s okay then I won’t say anything. This is your responsibility though.” The fake Chef said.

“I know. We can’t just have you wandering around though. You’re supposed to be dead.” My co-worker released my jaw and looked at me in thought, “One of us is going to have to keep an eye on you for these ten days.”

“W-What!?” I asked.

“We’ll be watching you, twenty-four hours a day.”

“Of course, that includes showering and sleeping.” The fake Chef smirked.

“A-Are you serious!?” I questioned.

“Lay off, Kyuhyun.” My co-worker said, “Anyways, enough joking around. Pick who you want to watch over you.”