"Are you sure you don't need an ambulance?", Seojoon asked me while carefully patting my shoulder.
"Oh no, thank you. I'm pretty used to almost dying by now", I said with a scary smile while staring at Hyungsik.
"How can you say something like th-"
"Sedam, I'm sorry", Hyungsik said and sighed.
"You are always sorry and then this happens!"
"It's not on purpose!"
"Then get control over your damn self and leave me alone until you resolved everything!"
"But that's the thing, it's not that easy!"
"Just leave me out of it, Hyungsik!"
"But I can only control it when I am with you, don't you understand?!"

Seojoon was turning his head back and forth between Hyungsik and me, completely unable to understand any of our conversation. His eyes were wide in confusion and shock about the sudden outburst of the two of us. I felt really bad for him. He was caught between some crazy people trying to figure something out that didn't even make sense in the world as he knew it. Yet here he was, trying to be helpful.
"What on earth are you guys talking about...?"

Hyungsik and I stopped our quibbling at once and looked at him. An awkward silence formed.
"We were... talking about... uhhh... how he can never control my clumsiness when I am with him. See, something like me falling down stairs happens and he doesn't look out enough", I stuttered. What an idiotic explanation, I thought to myself as soon as I'd said it.
"I don't remember you being that clumsy..."
"Why, yes, I am! Really clumsy."
"Yes, really clumsy", Hyungsik added and nodded approvingly. His acting was better than mine.

Seojoon sighed, ruffled his hair and leaned back. He wasn't completely satisfied with the explanation but apparently decided to let it slide.
"Be careful, Sedam. You really hurt yourself."
"I promise I will."

I drank the water Seojoon gave me and looked out of his window wall down on the street. As usual in this area, dozens of people in suits rushed between lunch and work at this point, skyscrapers reached up as far as the eye could see. How I loved the view from here.

My situation was messed up. How had I gotten myself into something twisted like this? I wished I could turn back time to the day where I'd met Seojoon at the café to escape this. But since I couldn't, I at least wanted to know how to resolve all this chaos. My body and my mind were suffering from it, my thoughts were tangled up around this situation only and I was neglecting all kinds of social contacts from college. I didn't even talk to Irene anymore.

"Thank you for the water and for being so thoughtful. I should get going", I said after a short while and got up. To my surprise, my injuries really didn't hurt at all. My left arm was a little bit sore and my right leg sometimes stung, but other than that, I was just getting along fine. This could had been way worse. After all, the staircase was out of solid wood and quite steep, but since I'd out, it could had been that someone caught me downstairs or something.
"I'll come with you", Hyungsik threw in, took my purse for me and helped me up.

Seojoon had said a frustrated goodbye and went back to his desk.
When Hyungsik and I crossed the lobby downstairs, Seojoon's employees were eyeing us half worried, half curious. I said goodbye to them and headed out, the fresh wind outside hit my face like a blade. It felt refreshing.
I didn't know what to do about Hyungsik. Once again, I'd trusted him and he imprinted me with yet another horrifying bruise. If this was to continue, my body would turn black at some point.

I walked fast, not paying attention to him. He had no problem, however, to keep up with my pace.
We were passing a tall office skyscraper, when he grabbed my arm and pulled me into the entrance.
"What do you think you're doing?", I spat out.
"Let's talk."

He called the elevator and pushed the button for the 37th floor, the rooftop.
Us two in the there suddenly reminded me of the steamy action we'd both pulled off the other day. I didn't want to give it to him, but still couldn't hold myself back from glancing over to him while a slight smirk crossed my face. I tried hard to get rid of it.

We got off on the rooftop, but the door to outside was locked.
"What now?", I asked and turned to him.
He looked behind himself and then, within the blink of an eye, turned the door knob harshly once, upon which it made a cracking sound and fell off. The door opened.
"Did you just break that?"
He didn't answer. Well then.

We stepped outside. The weather was cloudy and grey today, but it didn't look like it would rain. The wind was still cold, but it was not the icy winter wind anymore. I admired the view for a short bit; it was not often that I was on a 37-floor-high skyscraper's rooftop.
Seocho and Gangnam stretched out and their skyscrapers blocked the view from the further city. Nevertheless, it was breathtaking. Behind a thin fog curtain, I could make out Bukhansan mountain in the far north of the city.

While I was standing there and looking over Seoul, while keeping my safety distance to the rail, Hyungsik leaned against the low wall of a roof-light with crossed arms, waiting for me to finish my business over here.

The picture of him was even more breaththaking than the panorama view. His dark eyes laid on me, his muscular, tall body resting against the wall. Behind him, the city view expanded, turning the whole scenery into something almost romantic.
I couldn't help but smile at him in admiration. Then, I strolled over and stopped in front of him.
"You wanted to talk?", I picked up the conversation.
"Yes. There's something you need to know. Actually, there are a lot of things you need to know. And I will tell you."
"Why so suddenly? I thought you can't?"
"Truthfully said, I should not. But you're too involved. And I noticed something about you today that makes me think you will know this sooner or later, anyway, so I want to be the one to let you know."
"Okay."

"You were right, actually. The reason you see me when others don't, why you're in danger or have these life-threatening situations. You know, there are forces in the world that keep a kind of balance, and I am one of them... Not by choice, but by duty."
"So you are the angel of death?"
"You could put it that way. Listen, there is a misunderstanding. There are lists and orders that keep the balance. And we follow these orders. With you, on the other hand... You are not supposed to even be on the list. But as soon as someone has their name on it, it is our duty to follow the orders."
"So, you're saying I am on some death list somewhere?"
"Basically yes, but-"
"Nonsense... I don't believe it", I cut him off.
He turned his head away and took a deep breath. "The reason I can be like this", he said as he pointed to my throat, "is because of the duty that I have to fulfill. But then I met you, and suddenly... Suddenly, this side of me came back. The side that can see, feel that it is unjust. And I'm getting better at suppressing it the more I am around you."
"So, you're using me to - what? Become normal again?"
"No, I am saving you!"
I turned away from him. He explained all the chaos from the past weeks, but it still didn't make sense to me. This back and forth made my head hurt.

He grabbed my arm, upon which I turned around again to face him. I didn't want to talk to him right now, so I yanked my arm from him and pushed him from me. Abruptly, he stumbled back against the low wall, clenching his hands to the spot where I touched him while looking down at it in shock.
He drew breath painfully, as if he just awoke from being dead.
I looked down at my own hands. Where had that strength come from?

Hyungsik came back to his senses and tried to breathe steadily.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't think-"
"That's what I thought."
"What?", I asked, now totally lost.
"Ever since you have those marks on your throat, have you felt different? Maybe just sometimes, some unexplainable state of mind?"
"Yes, well..."
"I've never seen this before but... I think, I transferred some of my powers to you that day."
"Wait, what?"
"And it only makes even more sense after today. After you've got a third bruise, you are suddenly this strong."
"So, this means-" I tried to say, when the said force came back and hit me stronger than ever.
My anxiety vanished at once, I became calm and had an urge in me that I couldn't really distinguish.
I gazed around the rooftop, even the atmosphere up here felt different to me. The fresh wind didn't feel as cold anymore, the sounds from the busy streets seemed a little bit louder and the whole thing suddenly felt like an adventure to me. As if there was something bound to happen.

Now it weren't his mood swings that drove me crazy anymore, it were my own ones.

But Hyungsik saw it. He saw what just happened without me even saying a word.
His eyes lit up with a dangerous, fiery spark. Somehow, his worries and careful attitude from a second ago just disappeared, too.
Now he was the man from the elevator.
His lips formed a ridiculously hot smirk and with one hand just above his belt, he waved me over.
What kind of energy had possessed me?

Slowly, I took steps towards him, already getting worked up by his body solely standing there. He had his legs crossed casually, his one hand in his pocket and the other resting beside his leg. His eyes laid on me, his head was slightly tilted back. His confidence was striking.

As soon as I was within his reach, he stretched out and pulled me into his strong arms. My body literally crashed into his and our lips locked a second later.
It was the same heat, the same recklessness from before in the elevator.
The kiss was passionate, fierce, almost a bit violent. It was like our own world, everything but us didn't matter in this moment.
I took everything in; his scent, the sound of him breathing, the perfect feeling of his body against mine.

He turned me around and, how he liked it, lifted me on the low wall of the roof light.
This made another level of closeness possible, his lips tracing down my throat, before he stripped me out of the sweater I was wearing.

The adrenaline rush I got was not comparable to anything I'd ever felt. It was broad daylight, I could hear the traffic from down the streets and I could imagine the people walking down there, totally unaware of what was happening on this rooftop. And I liked the idea. I really liked it.

I pulled Hyungsik's sweater over his head, and for the first time, admired his bare torso. I let my hands trace all over his skin and was taken aback by it. Not only was it the most desirable body I'd ever laid hands on, but it was unusually warm for him. And right where I had pushed him earlier, a much lighter, distinct mark of my hand was visible.

I didn't get to think about that. Hyungsik wrapped his one arm around my body, drove his fingertips along my leg and with a sudden jerk, ripped my tights.
And then, there was no holding back anymore.
I tilted my head back and opened my eyes to look straight up into the grey sky as Hyungsik pulled me in.
Pure ecstasy.