…

“I love you too, Eunseo.”

…

Cheng Xiao and I then proceeded to attach our orbited heart shaped pink love padlock together with the thousands of padlocks on that roof terrace. Our eyes met and we both leaned in for a kiss… a kiss to seal our promise.

I pulled back from our kiss but we didn’t let go of each other’s gaze. That moment felt so magical. Cheng Xiao was just so beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“You look really pretty with your hanbok, Seongso.”

I found myself cupping her face with one hand and just continued to gaze at this beauty in front of me. I then began fixing her bangs.

“Thank you, Eunseo… I just followed whatever was written on that note on the last page of “The Book of Knowledge”.

The Book of Knowledge... It was the same book that Bona was reading the second time we met behind the all-girls campus under that Cherry Blossom Tree. Bona told me once back at the apartment that Cheng Xiao had written something on the last page of the book. As it turns out, it wasn’t Cheng Xiao that wrote that note but instead it was Bona. I guess that Bona was trying to hint something at me back then but I never had the chance to check out the book.

“That book belongs to the gumiho right, Seongso?”

“Yeah but you said that it was Bona that wrote the note on last page, Eunseo... Wait… but that would mean…”

At that moment, Cheng Xiao had this astonished look on her face as if she had all the missing pieces that she needed to solve this puzzle that’s been bothering her all this time. All that she needed to do was to put all those pieces in the right place.

Bona and Xuan Yi were now back at Bona’s apartment. Bona just let her bag fall on the floor and proceeded to let herself fall on her bed. Xuan Yi then sat on one side of Bona’s bed.

“Are you okay, Bona?”

“Yeah… Well no… not really… I feel like my heart just got shredded into pieces but I had to do it. It was the right thing to do.”

Xuan Yi proceeded to lay right next to Bona. Bona shifted her position and was now facing Xuan Yi. There was this awkward silence in the room as both Bona and Xuan Yi refused to speak. Xuan Yi found herself cupping Bona’s face. They both were just looking at each other when all of sudden Xuan Yi decided to pinch Bona’s cheeks.

“Ow! What are you doing, Xuan Yi?“

Bona then pinched Xuan Yi’s cheeks as well.

“Ow! Yah! Why are you pinching me too?” Xuan Yi was now pouting like a kid that made Bona burst out into laughter.

“You started it, Xuan Yi.”

“At least you’re smiling now, Bona. Come here.”

Xuan Yi opened her arms wide and Bona just rolled towards Xuan Yi’s embrace. She adjusted herself and she was now using one of Xuan Yi’s arms as her pillow.

“Do you do this to everyone, Xuan Yi? I mean… you know… being nice… slowly making your way to someone’s heart. Are you using your charm on me? Are you just going to leave after you have eaten my heart out?”

“What do you take me for, a gumiho? Wait… I am a gumiho but you know that you’re my one and only master… You know for a fact that I’ve never killed a single mortal before. Even if you didn’t sign that contract with me, I would still treat you this way if given the chance. I may be naturally nice but I’m especially nice to you. Well, I wouldn’t just call all this bed cuddles and whatnot being nice. This is me showing how much I care about you.”

Bona propped herself up on top of Xuan Yi. She was smiling but was trying to compose herself but she still couldn’t hide the blush on her face.

“What are you doing to me right now, Xuan Yi?”

“I should be asking you that question, Bona. You’re the one who has me pinned down on your bed. But before you answer that…”

Xuan Yi then gently placed her hand on the side of Bona’s face and that part where she had previously pinched Bona. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind Bona’s ear. She continued the side of Bona’s face along her jawline.

“Bona… has anyone ever told you that you have the best smile in the universe?”

“Xuan Yi… Whatever this is… whatever is happening right now… it’s really working well on me.”

Bona stood up and fixed herself up. Bona took out a bottle of soju from the fridge. She then took out a branded glass from the cabinet and placed it all on the table.

“Care to join me, Xuan Yi?”

Bona proceeded to open the bottle of soju and poured a glass for Xuan Yi. Xuan Yi hesitated and had this worried expression on her face.

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Bona?”

“I’ve seen mortals drink this stuff when they’re in this kind of situation. Just let me do this, Xuan Yi. This is supposed to make me feel better.”

“There are better ways to feel better, Bona.”

“Sure… sure… but come on… I won’t do this ever again… or more like I won’t be able to since I really don’t have that much time left so here! I already poured you a glass. Drink it in one go!”

“Eunseo… Did Bona tell you anything else?” Cheng Xiao asked.

“Bona told me that she knew that she was going to die soon and that I was her grim reaper. But now that I’ve completely become human, another grim reaper would take my place. I really don’t know why she knows about all this but she said that it’s going to be you, Cheng Xiao... That you are now her grim reaper.”

“I see… I just need to confirm something with Xuan Yi.”

“Xuan Yi? What does that foreigner have anything to do with this?”

Cheng Xiao was about to teleport when I grab hold of her arm, preventing her from teleporting. She looked a bit surprised at my actions.

“Seongso… I can’t teleport with you. I don’t have my powers anymore.”

“Oh… right. Let’s take a cab then, Eunseo.”

“Are you sure, Seongso? I mean, I don’t want to slow us down but I promised to stay with you. I still want to help out in any way possible.”

“Of course… I wouldn’t want to just leave you out here. What kind of a girlfriend, do you think I am?”

“Do you remember the first time we met, Xuan Yi?”

Bona asked as she drank another glass of soju. Bona then poured another shot for Xuan Yi.

“Of course… Why wouldn’t I remember? I was on the verge of death but a grim reaper came and saved me. Now that I think about it, why did you save me back then?”

“Because it was the right thing to do... You didn’t deserve to die that night.”

Xuan Yi had another shot and poured one for Bona.

“But you’re a grim reaper. Were you assigned to me?”

“No… I’ve never been assigned to anyone… in particular.”

“So if you were never assigned to anyone… What ex