“Hyukjae, wait.” A calm and soothing voice called and I stopped walking to listen more closely.

Donghae walked up to me with that feline grace he had within. I found it amazing how somebody could be this breath-taking only when simply walking. The slightly shorter man, sometimes much shorter when I wore high insoles, was always wearing black clothes. But he looked handsome in the tight slacks, Armani shirt and the leather coat. Like a model walking out of a fashion show he was strolling through the streets in his expensive dress shoes. I guess Grim Reapers get well-paid.

“You´ve got blood on your face,” Donghae muttered and cleaned my cheek with his palm. I grinned at him.

“Thanks,” I said and grabbed his sleeve possessively. I was always afraid he would disappear once I fail to keep attention.

You see, my friend over here is a Sashin. He sends souls over to the other world with that sweet voice of his. The voice that caught up my interest in the first place. At the beginning I thought it was because I was drunk but soon I understood that the unearthly creature standing next to me in the dark cell was actually real. That night I lost him for a moment but since I found him again, I made sure not to lose him from my sight ever again. It was as if I was being pulled to him, I couldn´t escape. It scared me at first because I worried that I might be close to death but soon I calmed down and forced myself into thinking that it was simply the destiny that was forcing me to stay by his side.

“But you should have warned me that he would get shot in the head right in front of me,” I sighed remembering the thirty years old mafia guy getting caught running away. His soul was pitch black too and that meant hell. Today was really tiring for me.

“I´m sorry,” Donghae replied lightly and started walking with me by his side.

“Are you doing it on purpose? To chase me away?” I asked him honestly but added a pout to not look too serious. I´ve always tried to be cheerful next to him.

I insisted on following Donghae whenever I had time from work. The Reaper had no choice but to let me join him on his outings and sometimes even made me, somehow, as invisible as himself. If you ask me how it feels to be invisible, I have no idea. The body feels the same and Donghae with the ghost can both see me so I don´t feel like I´m not present. And it´s good that I´m not seen in weird places like for example now in the dark alley with a dead criminal next to me and blood on my face. I have no idea how I would explain any of it at the police station. And I must add that I don´t have a good image there either.

“Of course not, Hyukjae,” Donghae sighed and shifted a little closer to me during the walk because he knew I liked him close. “I just always forget that you´re not used to it like me.”

“If you say so,” I muttered and my fingers let go of the leather. They slid down from the sleeve and caught the warm hand at the end. As always Donghae didn´t say anything and let me hold his hand.

As I said, I had no idea why I was being pulled to him so strongly. It was as if I couldn´t let go of him or something bad would happen. Or maybe wouldn´t but I simply needed him. I needed to see his dark sad eyes, crooked teeth, tanned skin and thin lips. All the little expressions he made and enchanting gestures. The way he walked and the way his voice always resonated in the space when he talked gently to the leaving souls. It was as if I was sick or possessed, I couldn´t even think of not being able to be with him. And yet we were still strangers, meeting up randomly to send spirits to the other world. I felt like a psycho honestly but I wouldn´t tell this to Donghae. I would just smile at him.

“There´s another one in an hour, are you sure you don´t want me to take you home first?” Donghae asked me worried. I must have been deep in thoughts and he caught on that something was wrong with me. I shook my head and looked at him.

“Nope!” I grinned. “But I might want a cup of hot chocolate before that, what do you think?” I offered and Donghae agreed right away.

We dove into the first coffee shop we could find and I bought myself the dreaded chocolate while to my tired Grim Reaper a cup of coffee. No matter how much he denied it, I knew that he didn´t like the night outings and preferred getting his job done during the day. We sat down at the table with our orders and quietly enjoyed the evening.

“I´m sorry for that earlier,” Donghae suddenly spoke up and I raised my eyes to look at him. Donghae was hugging the white cup on the plastic table with both of his hands and was looking outside of the window with sad expression. “I didn´t do it on purpose.”

“I know,” I mused and watched as he wanted so eagerly look back at me. He forced himself to stay turned but his eyes shifted to at least see the reflection of me in the glass of the window. It was cute how unsure of himself he was in my presence. I already understood that Donghae wasn´t used to the interaction with living humans and I´m also probably the only one that has ever noticed him wandering around Gangnam with the scythe.

“As long as you don´t mind me,” I told him and purposely met his gaze in the reflection. Donghae jerked in surprise and turned away, ending up facing me for real. Then he blushed and I stuck my tongue at him childishly. I knew I was acting immature but I also knew that he had a weak spot for me.

We finished our drinking in much lighter mood, talking about usual things. Movies and music and my day at work. Then we took a bus and two stops later found ourselves standing on the main street. I was nervously looking around because I knew that somebody would soon die here and although I pretended to be okay, I was affected by the events an hour ago. I was just Hyukjae not a Grim Reaper and couldn´t easily swallow witnessing a direct murder. Feeling alright, just a little antsy.

“Stay here this time, okay? Don´t come to the corpse, hm?” Donghae smiled and squeezed my shoulder. And I was quickly glad for his warning.

A few meters from us was a crossing. It was that stupid moment when the cars had barely red and pedestrians still didn´t have green but they were quicker to notice the change of the signalization than drivers and started walking across the street. It was that split of second in which a young schoolboy rushed into the road and the faster sedan that didn´t expect the lights to turn red so quickly didn´t manage to stop. The accident was inevitable and the hit was too strong. I watched the young unmoving body on the crossing and the stilled sedan tenths of meters away.

People started gathering around the boy and calling for help but Donghae slowly walking towards them could mean only one thing. It was too late already. I concluded that nobody could see the dark Reaper as nobody paid any attention to the way too calm person among them. I watched breathless as the spirit jumped out of the crooked body but instead of dispersing began running away from Donghae. He didn´t want to die.

“Wait!” Donghae called at the ghost flying over towards me. The boy was about to pass me but at that moment he looked into my eyes and halted. We were standing there and quietly looking at each other. The boy was crying and I was too. At that moment arrived Donghae and put his hand on the boy´s shoulder.

“I didn´t come to judge nor destroy you. I´m here to send you over to the other world,” he recited and the pure white light enveloped the closest space. “May your soul rest in peace.” And the boy was gone. I could finally breathe again.

“This was the last time,” Donghae said sternly.

“What?” I blinked away the drying tears and glanced at him. What was he talking about? Like he was done for today?

“You´re not coming with me anymore!” Donghae raised his voice at me, for the first time actually, and I had no idea what to answer.

“Why?” I only managed to whisper.

“I think it´s obvious, Hyukjae,” Donghae´s handsome forehead ceased and he was looking at me angrily. I wasn´t aware of any mistake, I haven´t moved from the spot as he told me! But at that moment I was unable to defend myself as enormous fear filled my whole body. I was paralyzed by the unimaginable thought that I wouldn´t be able to see Donghae anymore.

“I will take you home now.” That was the last sentence he told me.

…………………….. …………….. ………… ……. … .. .

Two weeks have passed since I haven´t seen Donghae. He didn´t answer my calls and I didn´t know where he lived either. I couldn´t find him in any telephone book, on the internet, anywhere. There was no list of Grim Reapers resisting in Gangnam and although I walked around the streets aimlessly for days, I was unable to spot him. As if he disappeared completely.

Of course I took this fact very badly, as if I lost a part of my body or something along the lines. My stomach was churning and my head was spinning. My heartbeat was too quick and I had difficulties to breathe, I had a panic attack. And the only idea I got, as always, was to go and drink myself to unconsciousness. I went to the nearest bar I could find after another long search for Donghae. I was tired and I barely ate or slept, I just missed him so much!

“I believe I can fly!” I was standing on the table and singing passionately. Other drunkards were loudly cheering for me.

“What does that mean, Hyukjae?” Somebody called.

“Ugh,” I swayed to the side but in the end managed to keep my balance. “A can flies?” I tried to translate it in my drunkenness into Korean but even in my state was able to tell that I failed. And it became even worse in the next second because I couldn´t stand properly anymore and fell down from the table, ruining whatever was lying there. And it must have been worth some wons because when I woke up again, I was in the cell of the Gangnam Police Station.

I opened my eyes and indeed I had a great view on the familiar bars. I was lying on the warm wooden floor and somehow didn´t feel sick at all. But then I noticed that I smelled of soap and instead of my sweater I was wearing a plain white tee. I immediately knew where the content of my stomach went to but I didn´t care. As long as I was feeling okay, well stomach wise. The real pain was still there, even when I drank myself to death. That´s what I thought when I saw Donghae entering the room. I´m dead, aren´t I? Why else he would be here? Definitely not to see me.

“Here he is, but I think you will need to carry him. He´s dead drunk!” I overheard the usual officer say and I took it as a confirmation that, indeed, I wasn´t among living anymore.

“Hyukjae,” Donghae called my name and after the policeman opened the door to the cell, the Reaper crouched next to me. As if he lifted all the weight from my shoulders, I relaxed completely.

“You came for me,” I said and Donghae hummed in agreement. He sat me up and kept holding my shoulder as I was swaying from side to side. I might have not been feeling sick but I was still drunk. “May I rest in peace,” I added and expected to disperse into the thin air.

“Hyukjae, I did come for you but to take you home,” Donghae chuckled, “not to the other world.” Then he took off his long black coat and made me wear it over the plain tee. Still chuckling at my confusion he loaded me on his back and grabbed my thighs. I yelped and instinctively, but loosely, rounded his neck so I wouldn´t fall off.

Donghae greeted the officer and began walking out of the police station. The whole idea of the situation finally sank into my hazy mind and I realised that he really came to just pick me up. Once he had said that he left his number at the station so they could call him whenever I happened to appear behind the bars. I thought it was a joke at that time, but it might have not been after all.

“You should be more careful, Hyukjae. What if you got seriously hurt?” Donghae nagged and shifted me on his back. I felt offended right away.

“You have no right to scold me when it´s all your fault in the first place,” I hissed and gritted my teeth angrily. I was still tipsy and unable to control myself much.

“Because I left you?” Donghae asked the obvious but his voice sounded guilty and I knew that he was still new to this whole idea of communication so I let it go.

“Because you used black magic on me!” I answered childishly instead. I hoped to sound cute but there was something important I had to tell him. I had to do it now because he might disappear once again. Thinking about it my insides squeezed painfully.

“What are you talking about, Hyukjae? I already asked around why you could see ghosts and my boss told me that you are simply weird, it has nothing to do with me,” Donghae didn´t understand and slowed down, as if hoping that he would be able to pick up my thoughts if he walked slower. I ignored his remark about me being weird and decided to explain him my worries.

“You used some weird black stuff on me,” I whined into his ear sadly, “when you are not around I keep looking for you, I miss you like crazy and I have panic attack every few minutes. I can´t sleep and I can´t eat. It´s really bad, I´m angry at you!”

“Does it hurt even now?” Donghae asked me patient and worried of course. Our encounters might have been strange from the start but there still was something between us, something that allowed us to be worried and want to care about each other.

“No, it disappeared right away, when you came,” I told him while I leaned my head on the side, snuggling closer to his shoulder.

“I´m glad,” Donghae remarked gently and squeezed my under-thighs with his hands.

“I didn´t say you were off the hook, Lee Donghae,” I warned him and continued with my runt, “it doesn´t hurt anymore but it´s still weird. My stomach is bubbly and my heartbeat is quick and I want to just stay on your back for the rest of my life because it feels good. What did you do to me?”

“I didn´t do anything, Hyukjae,” Donghae defended. “And it has nothing to do with Grim Reapers nor death actually.” Donghae sounded confident and I got finally hopeful that he knew, what was happening to me. Maybe he could help me out after all!

“What are those symptoms then?” I inquired curiously. I was impatient and wanted to know, if I could get cured. I squeezed Donghae with my legs to show him how eager I was for him to tell me.

“It´s probably love, Hyukjae. I think you fell in love with me and that´s why you can´t live without me,” Donghae said and something inside me changed. A warm feeling filled up my body from head to toe and I closed my eyes to enjoy the warmness.

“How would you know that,” I mumbled against his shoulder, inhaling his scent. The night was about to end, the sun was already peeking up on the horizon. The empty streets of Gangnam were quiet enough for us to communicate only in whispers. Pleasant little warm whispers.

“Because I have the same symptoms, Hyukjae.”

The End

May the story rest in peace.

Holla! Yep, it´s finished. It was only an easy idea and I didn´t really want to make it a long story. I didn´t want to keep murdering people in every chapter, you know. :D Still I hope you liked it. I´m still not sure, if I´ll started another chaptered story. I don´t really have much time but I might publish some older oneshot or stuff like that. Feel free to read those. Thank you for your support of my weird stories and me in person too. Take care, everyone! - PandaHero