Meanwhile...

Entering a bright hallway filled with blinding lights a lone figure dresses in black lifts his face to finally look up at the shiny gold gate with millions of tiny inscriptions. The sight of so much gold and glitter irks him. Didn't used to but now it does. He is feeling tired just at the thought of coming to this place but he needs to.

The people- things inside are the only ones who can give him the answers he need. He needed to know how- why the human boy could see him. No one had seen him in centuries. In fact no human has ever seen him before, especially not now. Only departed souls could see him since he is the one who releases them from their human bodies- vessels so weak and frail.

He had been bestowed the thankless job of soul collecting since centuries ago. A punishment he had chosen. Technically speaking, he is still an angel if one is to put it so nicely but more like the renegade kind.  The ones most angels and humans alike would avoid. His curse for sinning.

There is only one other. The most rebellious angel of all called Ravi. No one knew his real 'angel' name anyhow. Ravi had taught him all he needed to know about soul collection on his first day on the 'job'. Rightfully, he was not to enter the same gates he is standing in front of right now but he is allowed to as long as he wanted to. An irony but it is a complicated system.

"Taekwoon ah! Please don't do that! Just come on in." A cheeky angel approaches him just as he is about to give the gates a violent shake.

"Cute" the banished angel growls menacingly. This response still sends shudders up the other angel's spine. They were mentor-mentee relationship after all. The young mischievous angel simply could not resist poking fun at his ex-mentor addressing him in such an informal manner.

"So how may we be of service to you?" The younger angel smiled once more and shrugged when the older one pats him on the head.

"I have questions Hyuk."

"Ask away!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day...

Hongbin sits silently in the endless white hallway staring at his palms. He had just received news that the treatment Jaehwan is going for next- the last viable one was not part of the insurance package. Treatment may fairly well cost them their grandmother's property and all their savings combined. However the boy is not dwelling on that news. The fact that this treatment is Jaehwan's last hope is killing him.

He would not be able to sell their house but he had a secret stash stored up which he can finally put to good use. Years of savings by scrimping started from his allowance that he got from his grandmother while she was still around. That would pay for the deposit. He wanted desperately for the treatment to start. So desperate he was almost nagging at the doctors to expedite.

Face palming as he keeps his legs tucked close to his chest Hongbin is startled on spotting the appearance of another reflection on the extremely well-polished floor sitting right next to him. All he saw was a black mess but the moment he whirled around looking to his side, the other person was gone. He was sure there was no one beside him when he first arrived unless he was delirious.

Returning to his sighing session Hongbin is not one to be consumed by depression so easily. His best asset is his awkward form of positivism and ugly way of cheering himself up. Doing things with his lips which includes vigorous chewing and sputtering the boy dug out his rickety mobile phone and dialled a number.

"Hakyeon hyung! It's me! I have decided to stop school... Can I report to work tomorrow?" Hongbin bit at his lower lip some more and scrunched his face, dimpling up both sides.

"Really?! How about now?" The boy smiled radiantly for the first time since Jaehwan collapsed, dimples deepening even further as his eyes sparkles. "I will be there in an hour!" Bolting up from his seat the boy enters the room again to bid his brother good bye before making his way out of hospital. Work will take his mind off things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile...

Gasping and clutching chest tightly as he bursts into the hospital stairwells at an inhuman speed, Taekwoon almost thought he would go crazy the very first time he finally saw the face of his assignment’s brother- Hongbin: the human boy who could see him.

It was just another day at work and since Jaehwan's soul was assigned to him he was only lingering close by. Never in his wildest dream would he have imagined meeting Hongbin on this godforsaken job.

His Hongbin.

He wasn't all that sure at first but there was no mistake about it. The face and the way this boy behaved was an exact replica of his Hongbin. He hadn't figured that out on their first meeting since the boy's face was covered by the mask but the moment he saw that face he knew.

Spotting Hongbin as the boy enters Jaehwan's room and tailing him all the way out again Taekwoon had to be sure. Yet he cannot risk Hongbin seeing him once again. Hyuk had told him that it is impossible for humans to see him but it might be remotely possible if the human was more than just a human. Such as a fallen angel which would meant that the human has an increased sensitivity to the spiritual realm.

He had sought comfort in the fact that the boy might be a random fallen angel but he hadn't figured that the boy would be his Hongbin.

He was looking around so desperately for that one person yet their accidental meeting seemed so surreal even Taekwoon himself cannot decide what he wanted to do. Does he approach Hongbin and attempt to rekindle their relationship? Hongbin does not seem to recognise him but he is not the least surprised. Fallen angels can either become demons or stay a normal human mostly without memories of their past.

Taekwoon quickly decides he need more time to figure out his next move. For now he needs to know more about the human version of his beloved. Step one: follow him in the shadows. Jaehwan's soul is not of priority now. He needs Jaehwan to be around longer so he would have more time with Hongbin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later in the day...

Throwing on an oversized uniform and grabbing the nearest broom he can find Hongbin got down to working enthusiastically. He is branded lord of cleaning by everyone he knows after all. Picking up the rubbish trail is one of his specialties.

Spraying the window cleansing solution and giving the full length window a good wipe Hongbin yelped upon spotting a face behind his own reflection in the now totally transparent glass. Spinning around to spot his friend manager exit the cashier counter the boy brushes the creeps off once more.

The rest of the day was bad since he kept having the feeling of being tailed. Suppressing the paranoia as he bites into the measly filled tuna sandwich he had purchased from the nearby convenience store Hongbin dismissed the thought of being victim of a psycho killer. No one would kidnap him either since he is still in MacDonald's uniform which meant he has nothing to offer as ransom.

Reaching home to an open gate Hongbin started to panic again. Entering with caution the boy only calmed down on spotting his pet dogs. They are sleeping and for some unknown reason, all at the same time. That was rare. They always took turns at being hyperactive.

Reaching down to ensure they are fine Hongbin heaved a sigh of relief to find them all alive and well. Checking to ensure no one is hiding in some remote corner of the apartment the boy proceeded to take a bath. He needed to wake up by three and the morning and report to work by four leaving him with less than five hours of sleep. He knows he is not getting any illegal sleep replacement since working live is much unlike when he was schooling.

Stripping down and doing his laundry from the day before the boy finally tucks himself in. Falling asleep as soon as his head touches the pillow Hongbin dreamt a weird dream.

He was in an extremely lit place. So bright it is blinding. There is a row of weird looking creatures and they were scrutinising him like he was some hateful specimen. The look of disdain was particularly obvious- painfully so since he could feel it as if it was in the flesh. One of them spoke but he could not hear what they were saying. He opened his mouth but he could not hear himself either. He then whirled around to see wings attached to his back just like every other creature present and the weight of his felt almost familiar. He could see that they are no longer pure white and some feathers were already ruffled and greying like they were shrivelling.

The longer he stares at them the more grey the wings become. They were shrinking too but it was as if he had expected it. He was not terrified of losing them even though he ought to be. The dream then slowly made way for a nightmare when he started falling. So fast he could feel the wind gushing beside his ears. For some reason he is feeling sadder than he is scared. A pair of hands then reaches out to him with such desperation he could not resist reciprocating but only their fingers brushed.

He saw the owner of the pair of hands briefly but there were no features for recognition. It's as if they had been censored out but that is all normal for a dream right? The only baffling thing is that the blurry outline for a face was so painfully familiar yet he cannot seem to find the right person to fit the face. Then he hit the ground, waking up wide eyed.

His dogs were on him now as they attempt to calm him down, at his face anxiously. He lets out a choked cry since he is staring at the alarm clock with the short hand pointing at 8 am. He had overslept. Never in his life had he done that. Body clock or not he had always been a light sleeper. Most importantly he had purposely arranged his two alarm clocks at the distance where he would never be able to turn it off without waking. It was just impossible for him to sleep through the noise.

Checking the clocks again after rubbing at his eyes Hongbin let out of defeated sob before cleaning himself up at the speed of light. At least he would make it to his second day at MacDonald's on time. As much as he does not wish to lose his other jobs, he had been very inconsistent with his performance of late with everything that was happening at home and he knows he is at the mercy of his employers.

Unaware of the lone figure crouching on his window sill as he shovels down his cereal while feeding his pets the milk from the same bowl, Hongbin didn't even bother to comb his hair. Brushing the soft blackish brown locks with his fingers the boy disappeared through the door, ensuring that the door is firmly shut and the locks are fastened. The figure on the window latch smiled and disappears as well. His mission to ensure the boy gets more sleep is accomplished.

Watching the boy had given him immense satisfaction.