Seokjin didn’t know how long he had been in that place. He didn’t even know where the place was but he had stopped thinking about it a while ago. Namjoon would come and go every once in a while but it certainly did not lead to any progress on Seokjin deciding where he needed to be. They would talk but it never seemed like they could get a conversation going anywhere.

“I’m starting to think you don’t want to leave, Seokjin.” Namjoon laughed. He had stopped by “after work” he had called it when Seokjin asked him why he popped up at such random times.

Seokjin gave him a tentative look.

“I didn’t want to come here in the first place. What makes you think I don’t want to leave it?” Seokjin crossed his arms and placed them on top of his knees as he drew his legs in close to his chest.

“I don’t know. Maybe you like me too much.” Namjoon crossed his arms to challenge him in return.

“Right. Because I love it when you tease me and tell me I’m going to turn into a tree.” Seokjin deadpanned.

Namjoon laughed, “See? I was right.”

Seokjin rolled his eyes.

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Namjoon finally asked, “What do you think your purpose was?”

“My purpose?” Seokjin repeated as he stared off at nothing.

“Yeah. What do you think was your reason for living?”

“Isn’t that a loaded question?”

“I guess it is but humor me.”

Seokjin sighed and closed his eyes while he thought.

“I don’t know,” he began. “I never really thought about it. I mean I always tried to be a nice person and to do my best. But I don’t see how that could have been a purpose for living.” He let his chin rest on his arms.

Namjoon watched him as he tried to think of something else. Some other way to go about doing this.

“Okay then, why do you think you died? At such a young age, why was it your time to come here?” Namjoon asked, not so gingerly. He noticed the way Seokjin still flinched when he had mentioned dying.

“Would that not mean that I had no purpose then? If I was so young, there wasn’t much I could have gotten done. Am I a reject? Do those exist here?”

Namjoon pursed his lips and sighed, breathing heavily out of his nose. Seokjin looked up at him then, about to ask what was wrong.

“Look, I’m a reaper. I have been dead a long time. I was human once too. I didn’t know what my purpose was either and I died at a young age just like you. Maybe your purpose wasn’t meant for the living world.”

“What are you talking about?” Seokjin frowned. Namjoon rolled his eyes.

“Just like you said, you were young and you don’t think there was any time to have accomplished anything. Maybe that’s why you’re here. Why you’ve been here so long. Your purpose might not have been in the living world because your purpose has been here all along.”

Seokjin looked at him impassively.

“If this is some kind of attempt to flirt with me, Namjoon I will punch you, dead spirit or not.”

Namjoon ran his hands down his face before looking at Seokjin, exasperated.

“Okay, dingus. What I’m trying to get through that thick skull of yours,” he said as he poked Seokjin in the head, “is that maybe you’re meant to be part of this world. Like I am. I’m not the only one in this world you know. I told you. The fae exist.”

Seokjin continued to stare at him while he tried to make the connections.

“Does that mean I’m a fairy?”

Namjoon him, face inexpressive.

“Yes, Tinkerbell. That’s exactly what it means. Now all you need is to find Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.”

“Rude.” Seokjin said before sticking his tongue out at him.

“Okay so if not a fairy, what other jobs are there in this world?” He air-quoted.

“Picture this!” Namjoon spread out his arms dramatically.

Seokjin watched him cautiously.

“Spring spirit!” Namjoon had a huge grin plastered across his face. It seemed almost comical given his…undead-ness. Had it been any other situation, Seokjin might have actually laughed.

“Are you freaking kidding me?”

“Nope! Welcome to Ethos, princess!”

Ethos - the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.

I chose this as the name of the "spirit world" because in reading about folklore surrounding the cherry blossom, I came across the concept of "mono no aware" which literally translates to "the pathos of things." Pathos is a quality that evokes sadness or pity, which I do not want in this story, but is also a type of persuasion along with ethos and logos. Pathos is more about emotion, ethos is trust, and logos is logic. Since Seokjin has no choice but to trust Namjoon, I went with ethos. I hope that by the end of this, you all can see the connection with ethos and Seokjin because where he ends up actually has a lot to do with his beliefs and aspirations, his likes and dislikes, things he was passionate about in his life before the accident.

This all makes sense in my head but it might not to you so if you have any questions, I am more than willing to try and explain it another way lol

I am sorry that it has been so long since I last updated this story but I finished a degree in the year I was away. I appreciate you all for being patient.

I apologize for everything being so dialogue heavy but the dynamic between Seokjin and Namjoon is supposed to be a big factor throughout.

Can you believe it's been two years since I started this? I've had some major bouts of writer's block but I have tried my best.
I never wanted to present something that seemed subpar or unfinished.

After this chapter I'm planning on finishing up with two more so don't forget to subscribe if you haven't already!

As always, please tell me what you think! Sorry for any mistakes, it's 3am & I'm recovering from a cold. Comments are greatly appreciated! <3