“Okay. That’s it. I’m going to call the police,” Kris snaps and walks into the hallway where an ancient looking phone is hanging. It’s already been there when he had been forced to move in. Kris only used it so far to call several delivery services, telling them all to just leave the food in front of the door so that he didn’t have to interact with anyone. He has always left the correct amount of money on the doormat. And no-one has ever asked any questions though he’s pretty sure all delivery boys talk about that strange, strange man no-one ever gets to see.

Kris has just picked up the receiver when suddenly the boy stands right in front of him. Kris drops it in surprise and stares open-mouthed at the boy. How did he get here so fast? Kris didn’t even notice him walking past!

“What the...” he begins but the boy cuts him off.

“You know, Hyung, calling the police won’t do anything. They won’t be able to see me. You’re the only one who is able to and that only because I’m your guardian angel and that I was allowed to show myself to you. But the police? They’ll think you’ve gone crazy.”

Kris lets out a hysteric laugh. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I’ve gone exactly that!”

Suho casts him a sympathetic glance. “No, you haven’t. Look, I know it’s hard for you to understand and to accept it but it’s true. I’m your guardian angel, always have been. I’ve been there, looking out for you ever since you were born. I’ve always made sure nothing happens to you.”

Kris snorts bitterly. “Well, excuse me, but you’ve done a pretty crappy job with that. Where were you when my family died, huh?”

Suho’s face takes on a sad expression and Kris immediately feels regret washing over him. This boy should never look so sad. It’s a look that doesn’t suit him. Angrily, he shakes his head. What the is wrong with him?

“I’m so sorry,” the boy mumbles. “I wish I could’ve prevented that but I couldn’t. I wasn’t responsible for your wife and your kids. They all had different guardian angels. I don’t know what happened. I wish I knew but... Sometimes even we are powerless against certain things. The responsible guardian angels... I don’t know. And I can’t help people I’m not allowed to help. I can only help those who are under my protection.”

“I should’ve died with them,” Kris says, making the boy look even sadder.

“No, you shouldn’t. Everything happens for a reason. I know you don’t want to accept that and you don’t believe it but it just is like that. Even we don’t understand most of it and we’re pretty high up the hierarchy as guardian angels. But He often works in mysterious ways. It wasn’t your time to die.”

“It wasn’t their time to die either!” Kris argues heatedly. “My wife... The kids... They were so young! They didn’t deserve to die!”

“I know they didn’t,” Suho replies calmly, putting a reassuring hand on Kris’ shoulder. “But they’re at a better place now. I’m speaking from experience here. Dying isn’t all that horrible. It’s actually quite an experience.”

Kris blinks a few times. “You... What, you’re saying you’re dead?”

The boy actually has the nerve to roll his eyes. “Of course I’m dead. How else would I have become a guardian angel, huh? You have to be dead for that first.”

“I’m talking to a dead person,” Kris mutters stunned. “This is absolutely ed up crazy.”

Kris feels like crying. Out of grief, as always, but mostly out of frustration. Isn’t it already bad enough that he has to dream about his family’s death every single night? Apparently not, for now he is either stuck in the apartment with some lunatic who thinks he’s dead and Kris’ guardian angel or Kris himself has gone crazy, imagining he is talking to a boy who is dead and his guardian angel. Kris isn’t quite sure which is correct and he also doesn’t know which he wants to be correct. One thing is just as bad as the other. What has he ever done to deserve something like that? He’s been a good child, polite, always good at school. Hell, he has been a straight-A student. He has married a respectable, wonderful woman and they had two equally wonderful and lovely children. He loved his family with all his heart. Okay, so sometimes he really could’ve spent more time with them but could anyone really blame him for wanting to earn enough money to assure his family a good and comfortable life? So really, what has he done to deserve this? Deserve a dead family and deserve this whole situation with this kid in front of him. Suho. His guardian angel. Life isn’t fair.

“You know, that’s what I meant when I said that I’m older than you,” the boy continues, totally ignoring Kris. “I died when I was 17 but that’s more than 50 years ago now. Technically, I’m 71 years old but we guardian angels don’t really make a point of counting our age... I think for some that would get really frustrating with being several hundred years old...”

The boy smiles at him and Kris shakes his head. “I... No, I can’t... I... I need to go to bed, I think,” he stammers.

Suho smiles sympathetically at him and doesn’t say anything as Kris staggers towards the bedroom. He isn’t able to cope with all this right now. It’s too much. He dreads sleep of course but he needs to get away from this.

And perhaps, when he wakes up again, the boy will be gone.