Author's note:

I was so stressed today because of the dating news about Shin Hye and Lee Jong Suk, with pictures released by Dispatch. Good thing that their respective agencies responded immediately and denied the rumors. Keep the faith, YongShin fans! ^_^

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Shin Hye's POV

I am one of three grim reapers here in South Korea. In fact, all countries have their designated grim reapers. For example, in North Korea, she has two grim reapers. The United States of America has 100, two per state. The Vatican City has one, being a very small city, and I have heard that he lives close to the Pope. The Philippines has two, even though it has three major islands. Japan has five grim reapers, all male. China has seven, and Hong Kong has a single grim reaper. Same goes for Singapore, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Brazil and Argentina have 11 and 9 reapers respectively.

Back to the reapers here in South Korea. The other one is a halmeoni, and when her time will be up, she will go back to Heaven and live there peacefully. She will be replaced by another trainee, who is currently being watched over by the caretaker of angels, Junhwan-hyungnim. The last one after me is a fifteen-year-old girl.

All of us started being a grim reaper when we were around three years of age. It seems like a standard that Haneunim has. I am no longer a teenager, and an adult whom many consider to be of working age. I did my work as faithfully as I could, though there could be other souls who are adamant in staying alive. Some, Haneunim gives the chance to live again, while others have to follow what has been planned.

Being a grim reaper is hard. Sometimes, we have to live among the people and work with them like ordinary humans do. As they age, so do we.

I am not sure if I am one of a kind, or if others had ever felt this way, but Junhwan-hyungnim had always warned us about this: about falling in love.

Falling in love, especially if you're not human, is difficult. It's difficult, especially if you have to hide your feelings for a very long time. In one instance, in Suriname, the female grim reaper who had assisted a farmer fight off phantoms revealed her feelings to him because she could not hide it any longer. The man reciprocated the feelings, and they got married, but later on, five years later, he noticed that his wife remained the same. It was when the woman revealed that no reaper has to confess her feelings if she wants to grow old with the being she loves. All reapers have been told, even to this day, that the being they love should confess their love first before the reapers can confess theirs. With that, she can continue to age along with her partner. He was distraught with the news, but accepted the wife as she was. And so, ten years later, when the child was five years old, the man grew older, but his wife remained young. The wife had to stage her own death so that everyone will think that she had died, but she told the man it was just her way out so that other people will not talk ill about him marrying a vampire of some sort. Hurtful as it may seem, the man let her go and let her continue her job as a reaper, but letting go was the worst feeling. He had to lie to everyone. He even had to lie to his child. It was his only way to protect her secret. When the child was old enough, it was when the father confided what his mother was all about. The child forgave his father for lying. And because of his half-and-half heritage, the child also could see preternaturals and can send them away with spiritual powers. It happened, they say, 300 years ago.

The other weird love story I had heard was about the Japanese reaper and a person, who was a yokai in disguise. Reaper Halmeoni told me it happend around 50 years ago. The love story was sweet, yet sad because it was forbidden. The woman, who was a yokai, had to let go because they were literally worlds apart.

One love story with a happy ending was one from Portugal. The man had lots of girlfriends, but none suited him the best. Eventually, he did not marry anyone for reasons he did not know why, and the patient reaper kept her feelings until the end. Both of them stayed as friends and partners-in-crime during missions, and both grew old together. When the man died, his soul became young and met the younger version of the grim reaper. It was when the man realized that during his lifetime, he did not marry because his soul mate was the reaper. The two of them fell in love and got married in heaven. I know because I witnessed their wedding yesterday.

And mine?

Yes, I have my own love problem.

I could have followed Junhwan-hyungnim's edict. It would have been easy. But then, it's easier said than done.

The day that I officially became a grim reaper at age three was also the day the man I loved was born. 

Yes, he's three years younger than I am, and I had watched him grow, pick fights, and have two girlfriends at different times. I have my jurisdiction here in Seoul and in some places that Reaper Halmeoni would assign me, but I always make sure that I get to see my love everyday.

His name is Jung Yong Hwa.

Sigh. I want to know him better. I wish he'd know me too. If only...

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Up next, Jung Yong Hwa meets the grim reaper Park Shin Hye for the first time.

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