Chapter Twenty-Two
Angel Vessel
"H-how?" He asked as I got up and headed towards the door. I don't know what had spurred me to repeat those words to him, to let him know that I now knew a very intimate part of his past. "Wait Minji!" He finally moved but I was already closing the door after me and I felt a small satisfaction in slamming the door in his face.
I ran my hand through my hair. Why was I feeling satisfied that I cut Woohyun off? I held onto the door knob as I heard him turn it from his side. "Leave me alone Woohyun. I need to be alone. I don't want to be watched, protected or coddled."I said through the door and I felt him stop trying to open the door.
"Minji, listen to me. It's really dangerous right now. We don't know what he wants." Woohyun said.
"I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. What I want." I said very quietly under my breath before I booked it towards the elevator. I didn't stop running even after getting out of the apartment complex. I was a detective. I have always been complimented on my strength, my sense of justice. But, now I had none of those. I was reduced to nothing more than a scared little girl. I had found the killer of those innocent girls, but I was unable to do anything. There was no way for me to bring him to justice.
"Minji!" Woohyun grabbed my arm. He was breathing hard, he had ran instead of teleporting. "Let go." I said. "No." He grabbed my shoulders making me face him. His face was full of emotions. He looked upset, angry and troubled. I tried to turn away from him but he leaned in towards me and I stared at him, eyes wide. My heart thumped erratically in my chest. When our lips were a breath away from each other, I saw the tightening of his jaw.
He closed his eyes and his expression went sullen. He put his forehead on my shoulder instead. Goosebumps ran up my arms and his hair tickled my cheek. "Where did you hear those words?" He asked softly. So he chased after me because of that. I didn't know what misconceptions I had, but they were effectively squashed.
"Minji?" Someone called my name and saved me from giving an answer. "Sunggyu?" I pushed Woohyun away gently. He looked up and I felt the immediate tension from his body. Sunggyu smiled his gently smile. "Sunggyu. W-why are you here?" He asked and I looked at him. "You know Sunggyu?" I asked, confused.
"He's a Guardian Angel. He is my best friend." Woohyun said. "Don't refer to me so endearingly. I am not your best friend." He said in the coldest voice I've heard from him since I had met him.
"W-what is happening?" I asked looking between the two. "Where is your charge?" Woohyun asked. "Dead." Sunggyu said. "Did the Reaper get to you guys too?" i asked softly. "No. I killed her." My eyes widened in surprise and everything moved too fast after that. Sunggyu leapt forwards and grabbed me and kicked Woohyun away. He stumbled back and grabbed the wall to steady himself. "Let her go. Now." He said dangerously. Sunggyu had his hand around my throat and had pinned my hands behind me. "Let's meet back at her apartment." Sunggyu said and then we were in my apartment. If I had any doubts on Woohyun's claim of Sunggyu being an Angel, they were gone. Woohyun appeared a second later, looking angry and worried.
"Why are you doing this?" Woohyun asked. "Because I'm finally going to take away something you care about. Just like you did to me." Sunggyu said. His voice tickled my ear and an sickening chill ran its way down my spine. The warmth that I've always sensed in Sunggyu was no longer there. "What are you talking about?" Woohyun said carefully taking a step towards us. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you. Minji is very delicate." Sunggyu said and I felt his fingers tighten over my throat and I gasped.
"Alright I won't. Tell me what is happening then." Woohyun put his hands up, palms forward in a diffusing gesture.
"You're always so stupid Woohyun. You pretend you are better than everyone else, that you know everything. But you've just continued to make mistakes. And now you are going to cost Minji her life." He chuckled darkly. "Just like you did with Eunji." And Woohyun face changed into one of pain. So that was her name.
"Why are you involving Eunji? She's..." He asked, the anger in his voice tinged with sadness. I felt Sunggyu's fingers dig further into my skin. His hand started to glow red. "Don't tell me you don't know how Angel Vessels are made."
"They're souls infused with angelic energy." He answered like a textbook.
"Angelic energy? No. They are the souls of the Angels that are condemned for their mistakes and willing to submit themselves to God's will. To redeem themselves." I felt Sunggyu tense up behind me and his fingers dug into my skin further. Woohyun looked at me now, eyes wide. "You're lying." He said softly.
"Do you know what they did Woohyun? Maybe that's why all of God's Angels are so obedient to him. He withholds the information that would make his Angels seriously consider whether or not their efforts to protect the heavenly values are worth it." Sunggyu scoffed.
"But the truth hurts and I'd be more than happy to deliver it to you. They slice an angel's soul in half to merge it with a human one. That is why the vessels can withstand an archangel descending inside them. And I will tell you right now, the Angel soul used to make your precious charge was Eunji's." Sunggyu was becoming increasing aggravated as he spoke, and I decided to take this as a chance. I stomped on his instep and swung my head back to hit him in the face. My skull throbbed when I made impact with his face, but I swung around and i felt a sharp passing pain on my neck.
Sunggyu was taken by surprise but, before I could get away, he kneed me in the gut. I doubled over coughing. He grabbed the back of my neck and kicked my legs out from under me. I fell onto the carpeted floor and tried to get up but Sunggyu dug his heel into my back. I gasped in pain.
Woohyun hadn't moved an inch, he almost seemed lost in his own world.
"You've always been so defiant. It's one of your best traits, but I don't know how much it will help you out now." Sunggyu said. "What do you really want Sunggyu?" I asked breathless through my clenched teeth trying to get up.
But before Sunggyu could reply, Woohyun spoke. "Eunji is dead." He said softly. "No. I'm going to bring her back. But not before I kill you. You're the one that killed Eunji in the first place. You made her suffer. You fed her stupid ideals and where did that get her? Killed." Sunggyu said and the realization hit me. "You loved her too." I said softly to myself, recalling the blurry memory and I felt Sunggyu's foot leave my back. He had stepped over me and grabbed the front of Woohyun's shirt after a few strides across the room.
"You bastard. You ruined her." Sunggyu said and punched Woohyun in the face. The Angel went down without a fight. I looked around and grabbed the gun I kept under the coffee table and without waiting, I shot Sunggyu twice. Once in the leg and once in the back. He turned back to me with a murderous glare. "You're lucky I need you."
I tried to shoot him again, but he already disappeared, leaving behind a small puddle of blood. I threw the gun and the silencer on the couch and got up to see Woohyun. Ignoring the pain of my own injuries I helped Woohyun to his feet. "Woohyun? Woohyun. Are you okay?" I shook him slightly.
I stared at his face when the tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. "You love her." I said softly. I took a step forward and hugged him. "It's okay." I said softly. "She suffered so much. S-she…" I felt my eyes sting with tears of my own. "You have to continue to love her. Because no matter where she is right now, part of her will always live in your heart. Don't let what he said get to you." I said but I felt like someone was slowly slicing into my heart with a knife. Part of her lived in me. I wanted to say, but could not. Because I knew that he was already looking at me like I was Eunji. Park Minji no longer existed.
His arms wrapped around me and he buried his face in my neck. I bit my lip as I felt a tear escape. I closed my eyes. "She is beautiful, isn't she? A true angel. Sunggyu may have said you didn't deserve her but she is yours anyway." I said gently his hair. His body wracked with sobs. "I-I couldn't do anything for her. I said I would protect her from everything." He cried. I held him tightly knowing that I should not do this ever again. "She loves you. She will always love you." I said and pulled away when I judged that my expression would be okay to meet his eyes. I wasn't religious so I didn't know if there were any records in any religious documents about seeing an angel cry. But, it was the most heart breaking thing in the world. Angels were not meant to cry. They had to smile, to bring hope to this world. To protect this dark world and not be tainted by the things that trouble humans.
"I have to go now." I said and took a small step back. "Feel free to stay for as long as you like." I said gesturing to my apartment, but a part of me wanted him to leave as soon as possible. "I'm going." and he couldn't even lift his head. He didn't even respond to my words. I swallowed despite the choking feeling. And I left. I didn't understand why I felt this way. Maybe it was the unrequited love they had for each other. Maybe I was jealous of such a relationship.
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