Epilogue

“You’re an angel,” Chanyeol says. “You’re not supposed to be tired so much.”

Baekhyun glances up at Chanyeol, the white and gold robes flowing around him, hair silhouetted against the light. He sits down beside him, setting down the sword in his hands.

“I’m not tired,” he replies. “It’s just nice to look at the sunset and sunrise.”

“You have a busy day, though.” Chanyeol is staring at the horizon also, ignoring his own words. “There’s a list of souls you have to take from Judgement, then there was one demon that you had to get rid of—”

“It’s not too much to miss the sun.”

Chanyeol quiets. “Are you still thinking about her?”

Baekhyun traces a pink cloud with a finger. “Yes.”

“It’s been months. They take a while to sort out all the souls, but… don’t you think she’d be gone already? You don’t know where she’s been sorted — the most I can say is that she’s in heaven — but…”

“I said I wouldn’t forget.”
 

“Which was a good decision, but—”

“She’ll come up here someday, right? The system has to go through her. There’s no way she’ll end up in hell, and however long it’s going to take, I’m going to be here forever anyways, so it’s really no difference. I’ll wait.”

Chanyeol looks like he wants to say something else, but after a moment of indecision, he  gives Baekhyun a stiff nod, lips pressed together in a thin line. “I can’t guarantee how long you’ll wait. The memories are what you want to keep, but is it really worth…?”

You look nice when you smile, she’d said to him. Smile to both of us.

He smiles at Chanyeol. “It is.”

The clouds are changing color now, as the sun rises higher and higher, light washing over them, the pink fading as they return to their original white. Baekhyun wonders how Jongdae is doing — is he still working as an interpreter? Does Jongin still teach at his dance studio? Does Sehun still teach there with him? Is he living in the same place still, with the same car? Does he cook for himself, even though he can’t cook?

“You should go now,” Chanyeol finally says slowly. “You have a lot to do, and you know, don’t you?”

Baekhyun groans and sits up, adjusting the strap of the sword on his back. “Yes. Judgement first or what?”

“Judgement. I’m off. I have my stuff to do too. I’ll see you tonight.”

For a while, Baekhyun continues to watch as the clouds shift with their pretty patterns, turning into different shapes in the sky before he finally turns toward where the souls will be released.

***

The place where the seraphim refer to as the Judgement Hall is huge. The place doesn’t actually have a very distinct shape, nor is it even a building of some sort. Even now, Baekhyun isn’t sure how souls enter it, but he’s seen the long, unending lines of souls waiting for judgment. Those who come out on one end are lead upwards, and those who don’t…

Baekhyun blinks around him. He’s been in there once or twice, and the floors of the place look like they’re made of polished