It's already after lunch when Minho decides to wake up. Jonghyun isn't beside him and he scans the room immediately.

"Jonghyun?" He calls out, but he gets no answer. He panics, so he grabs his shirt to cover his chest and runs out of the room.

"Hyung!" He yells when he finds a board short-wearing, ocean-wet, half- Lee Jinki walking around the kitchen to get something to drink. His voice startles Onew that the hotness the oldest evoked disappears when older hits his head on the kitchen closet's door.

"You're kinda ruining my swag, Minho." Onew tells him as he rubs the top of his head.

"You ruin your swag even when you're just standing still."

"Hey! Not all the time!" Onew retorts, Minho waves his hand, "Enough of your non - existing swag, have you seen... My boyfriend?"

"He's outside with Key. Your boyfriend's so weird."

"Say what?"

"No offense, but isn't he hot? We're on the beach and he insists on wearing pants and long sleeves. And... Minho."

"Yeah?"

"He doesn't sweat! I mean, we're practically drowning on perspiration when we step out of the house in our glorious body..."

"Your glorious body...?"

"We're hot. But the sun is hotter..."

"Are you hearing yourself, hyung? Did Key get you drunk this early?"

Onew laughs, "I'm just kidding, you're too uptight lately! But I'm not kidding about Jonghyun not sweating though!"

"He's not a sweaty person, deal with it." Minho turns to leave when Onew calls out his name again, "Minho."

"What is it this time?" Minho sounds frantic, he really just wants to be with Jonghyun right now. "Don't you feel sick?" Onew asks with all seriousness.

"Sick, how?"

"I dunno, but for some reason, me, Key and Taemin get slight headaches when your boyfriend is around..."

Minholooks at Onew straight on, "I'm fine." He's lying of course. Minho's been suffering headaches more painful than the three of them but he's gotten so used to it, he sometimes forgets it hurts.

"I keep telling Key that we don't get allergic reaction from a person, but he just wanted me to ask you."

"Well, I'm fine. So don't even think that you're allergic to Jonghyun." He turns on his heels to leave and avoid any further questions.

He sighs in relief when he finds Jonghyun on the blanket alone. Taemin and Key are playing on the water happily.

"Hey. Why did you leave me in the room?" Minho asks as he sits beside Jonghyun, the scheduler laughs a little, "Let's just say I got abducted by Key."

The human raises an eyebrow, "Abducted?"

"I was pacing the room waiting for you to wake up when lo and behold Key bursts open the door to wake you up again, and these are his exact words: 'Ah. Jonghyun, you're awake. Be a dear and unglue yourself from your boyfriend's hip. We're playing double frisbee and we're short one member. You will do.' He grabs my wrist, and... Let's just say it's gonna leave a deeper mark than what you did before in the garage."

"Let me see..." Minho covers his hand with his shirt then takes Jonghyun's wrist, "I'm sorry about that... Key can be too aggressive."

"It's okay. I had fun playing." Jonghyun smiles, Minho doesn't let go.

"Jonghyun...?"

"Yeah?"

"How many days left?"

"... Eight."

"I see." Minho release from Jonghyun then just stares off to his distant friends, "I should make it up to them..."

"Make it up to who?"

Both of them looks up to see Onew standing behind them, "Something going on Minho?"

"Nothing." Minho faintly smiles, the pain in his eyes doesn't escape Onew's observation.

"You're hiding something from us, Minho. You know we don't keep secrets."

"It's not a don't. We CAN'T keep secrets." Minho laughs, then waves his hand, "I'm fine! Don't worry."

"Let's go for a swim!" Onew tells them and runs off to the shore. Minho turns to Jonghyun who's lying beside him, "Let's swim?"

"Can't."

"Why not?"

"Water evaporates."

"It does. I know that."

"Like this." Jonghyun takes a water bottle and pours its contents on his hand, it evaporates quickly as if his hand is scorching.

"Oh..." Minho exclaims, "That's why..."

"Yeah. I'm not human, remember? Not anymore."

"I spend too much time with you, I feel like you're not even a supernatural. You're as normal as any other guy around." Minho muses, Jonghyun laughs softly.

"Let's just take a walk." Minho suggests, Jonghyun nods.

They walk along the stretch of the shore, the sun's up and it hurts the human's skin. They stay side by side and Minho watches in amusement as the sea water evaporates when it touches Jonghyun's barefeet.

Their silence isn't awkward, and honestly, it's comfortable. Minho actually finds it unusual that Jonghyun isn't gabbing away, the human isn't really in the mood to talk anyway. He just wants to spend some time to take in the beauty of the beach that he took for granted.

"Oh, Minho..." The scheduler cuts the silence. The human just looks at Jonghyun to acknowledge him.

"I have to go back to my realm later. I only have 24 hours before these clothes disappear."

"You can just use my clothes, stupid." Minho's laughter is faint, Jonghyun points to a huge rock and tells the human they should sit there.

"It's been a pretty long time since I've been able to appreciate this beauty..." Jonghyun tells him when they're finally seated, "I only come to beaches when it's time for me to fetch drowned souls." He continues with a cute giggle.

Minho stays quiet and Jonghyun looks at him, "I know... Minho. It's a scary thought if you're not ready."

"Will I ever be ready to face death head on? I mean... Day by day, it's sinking in."

"You just know that you'll die next Thursday. You have no idea how, what time... And so on... I just... How do I say this...?"

Minho looks at him, "You don't have to say anything. I mean, I know it already. I'm just getting scared everytime I go to bed because I know that every day I wake up, it's another day closer to my impending death." The human buries his face on his knees and Jonghyun sees Minho's shoulder rise up and down and his breath hitches even within the confines of his knees.

"Such a crybaby..." Jonghyun pulls Minho closer to him, and he gets surprised when Minho hugs him tightly, tears evaporate when they touch the scheduler's neck, and Jonghyun feels the burning sensation on his jaw and neck area as well, but he doesn't move nor push Minho away, he lets the younger boy cry until he relaxes.

"I'm sorry about that..." Minho whispers but without raising his eyes to meet with the scheduler's. He just stays there, head buried to the crook of Jonghyun's neck. "I'm sorry, I think I've been burning you ever since you came back."

"I will heal. Don't worry."

Minho finally pulls back, wiping the tears off from his face, then he smiles genuinely at Jonghyun, "Thank you. I needed a shoulder to cry on."

"I understand. I'm the only one who knows anyway."

"HEEEYYYY!!! THERE YOU ARE!!!"

Jonghyun and Minho turn to the right to see Taemin running up to them with the couple walking behind him, "We've been looking for you, hyungs!"

Minho looks at Jonghyun with questions in his eyes, "You look fine, Minho." The scheduler smiles, Minho jumps down from the rock.

"What's up?" The tallest asks. "We were just wondering where you guys went off to." Taemin replies as he scratches the back of his neck.

"I told you they're fine." Key whines next to Onew, "You told us they were having hot on the beach!" The oldest counters, Taemin's eyes widen, "HYUNG!"

"What!? Key did say that!"

"Unfortunately we're not having hot , right Minho?" Jonghyun smirks as he repositions himself atop the rock.

"Is that what's always on your mind, Key? No wonder you've never walked normally ever since hooking up with Onew-hyung." Minho asks with a raised eyebrow and hands akimbo.

"I BEG YOUR PARDON?!" Key sounds offended but the whole group laughs loudly seconds after.

"Well, looks like they're fine. We're heading back to the house, and we'll prepare dinner. You can come back later." Onew tells them and the three of them walks away from the pretend couple.

"They're really buying this pretend couple thing, huh?" Jonghyun muses as he watches Minho's friends walk away.

Minho bows low, a bit hurt with Jonghyun's words, "Yeah... We're great pretenders."

"Do you wanna stay here a bit longer?"

"I'm gonna swim a bit."

"Then I'll just be here."

"Alright." Minho throws off his shirt and Jonghyun catches it. He runs to the water, hoping to cool his head and most especially his heart a bit.

It already that he's about to die, and it harder to fall in love with the very being who's about to take your soul. Minho can't even impose his feelings because Jonghyun is insensitive to human emotions.

If Minho only knew.

Jonghyun watches as Minho swims lapses on the sea, he knows that what Jaejoong feared for him is coming true. He is falling in love. This is the mistake of telling him his past resulted to because he longed for love and affection.

-----

Jonghyun is walking along the whiteness near The Gate when Jaejoong calls him to sit with the older scheduler near the edges of the realm.

"What is it?"

"I promised you something when you were still human."

Jonghyun smirks and raises an eyebrow, "Are you sure? Why did you make such a promise?"

"You made me promise and I intend to keep it."

Jonghyun's been a scheduler about 3 years in human time and he has no memories of anything from his human life.

Aside from knowing he was human and he's to become a scheduler once he dies, that much they were allowed to know.

"Wow, if you're really keeping it, I hope I didn't make you promise to do something super stupid."

"It's pretty stupid and I really shouldn't."

Jonghyun grins wider, "That's interesting. What is it?"

"You made me promise to tell you about your past."

Jonghyun's eyes widen is surprise, "I did!?"

Jaejoong nods silently.

"And you're really keeping it?!"

"Tell me you want me to forget it and forever hold your peace."

Jonghyun thinks for a moment, pouting and tsking every now and then, "You're gonna get in trouble for this."

Jaejoong smiles, "If we keep it between us, I won't be."

"You're not a huge prick as I thought you were."

Jonghyun gets a smack over his head, "Well, I guess... You can tell me."

Jaejoong looks left and right, making sure that there aren't any schedulers around. The older is glad that his senses are skyhigh sensitive and he can feel the others from miles away.

"Don't expect too much. I only know much from what I've observed."

Jonghyun nods, interest not leaving him.

"I'm not a good storyteller either."

"GO ON. Damn it."

"You ungrateful rookie!" Another head slap, but Jonghyun just laughs it off.

"You lived alone. You were an orphan and you were in college."

"You with introductions." Jonghyun cuts Jaejoong off, and Jaejoong glares at him with that do-you-want-me-to-continue-or-do-you-want-me-to-cut-your-wings-off? Look. Jonghyun turns quiet and shuts up.

Jaejoong tells him that he's practically lived forever alone. The dust in the curb. He was a talented singer but he was too afraid to sing in public that his only audience were his shampoo bottles in the shower. He wrote songs, but was too afraid to bring it to music companies when he had all the potential in the world, at the age of 19. He could have been a prodigy had he been more confident with what he can do.

He got rejected and humiliated by the only person he loved. Jaejoong said he isn't sure if the person was a guy or a girl, since Jonghyun only referred to this person as "S".

"How pathetic was I?" Jonghyun asks sounding confident, but the pain in his voice is evident.

"Pretty pathetic." Jaejoong looks at Jonghyun seriously, "That's why when I gave you the choice, I knew you would choose to become like us."

Jonghyun, "Wow... I wonder why I chose to know my past. It's not even beautiful to begin with."

"You said it's yours. No matter how lousy it was."

Jonghyun stands up, "Thanks... I'm gonna fly a bit."

Jonghyun spreads his wings and flies around the realm. His remaining humanity makes him hurt a bit since knowing a little about his past now, and it leaves him a huge hole in his chest. He has never felt love and affection when he's alive.

How could he even feel that now that he's dead?

-----

"Done?" Jonghyun asks when Minho walks out of the water and climbs the rock to sit next to him again.

"Yeah..." Minho shakes his hair dry with his hand, and he takes his shirt on Jonghyun's lap to put on.

"Let's go back?" Jonghyun asks again, Minho nods. The taller jumps off the rock and Jonghyun glides down, making the human raise an eyebrow, "You show off."

Jonghyun smirks, "By the way, when are you going back to Seoul?"

"We plan to leave tomorrow. Key's complaining about becoming too tanned."

"Oh." Jonghyun says nothing afterwards. He just keeps walking beside Minho, and the taller boy notices the silence.

"Something wrong?"

"Nothing." The scheduler awkwardly smiles, Minho ruffles Jonghyun's hair.

"I didn't know your kind is a worrier."

"We're not supposed to be."

Minho raises an eyebrow, "So you're worried?"

Jonghyun shrugs his shoulders, "Maybe."

"You're a little different today." Minho notices and stops on his tracks to look at the scheduler.

"You're the worrier, kid." Jonghyun pouts, "Let's just go."

-----

"Still not eating?" Key asks after they all sat down for dinner, Jonghyun nods, "I'm so sorry Key."

"Well, okay." The resident umma doesn't protest anymore but looks at Minho with questions in his eyes. The tallest boy just shakes his head as if to tell his friend to just let it go.

They all share a nice dinner (minus Jonghyun eating anything) with conversations about future plans, like what they'll be taking in college and what jobs they intend to have after graduating.

"I wish I could see all of your dreams come true." Minho mutters, his friends look at him quizzically.

"You talk as if you won't be here." Onew tells him, Minho shakes his head, "I mean... Wouldn't it be nice if all we're dreaming of doing in the future happens as we all planned it to be?"

"Yeah! That will be really awesome!" Taemin gushes, even clapping his hands together in delight.

"And then me and Onew will get married and have lots of mini-mes in the future!" Key chimes in with the widest smile on his face.

"I think chickens will be extinct when that happens!" Minho adds in, Onew throws him a napkin, "As if I'll let that happen, Minho! What will I feed my kids?!"

"Your kids will grow chicken wings." Jonghyun tells them, Taemin giggles and the couple laughs.

"How about you, hyung? Any plans?" Taemin asks, and Minho feels his heart sink into his stomach. He smiles, hoping not to show his worried face, "I'll be with Jonghyun."

The scheduler looks at Minho but says nothing, Key cuts the short silence in the room, "Yeah. Cheesy. But really, what's your plan?"

"No plans aside from being with him."

"Ewwwww... You're mushier than Onew-hyung and Key-umma!" Taemin stands and takes his dishes to the sink, "I'm gonna turn in now!" And the maknae prances out the kitchen leaving the four older guys behind.

"I'll do the dishes." Jonghyun tells them and takes the used plates from the table and places them in the sink, Onew and Key smiles at the pretend couple and leaves Minho with the scheduler alone.

When the both of them are left behind, Minho walks up beside Jonghyun and sits on the counter. He watches as the scheduler cleans the dishes with the water evaporating when the liquid touches Jonghyun's skin.

"But really, Minho, what's your plan?" The scheduler asks without looking at the human, "I'm pretty sure you already have something in mind."

"I... I wanted to be a soccer player, and a soccer coach when I retire. Just like my dad. He was an awesome coach."

Jonghyun stays silent, Minho continues, "I'm just waiting for my scholarship from the university I applied to but I guess I won't need it anymore."

The scheduler turns to the human after cleaning up the last dish, "If... Just if, if I give you a choice to live more, will you take it?"

Minho stares at Jonghyun, "I..." But before the taller can answer they're interrupted by Taemin who walks into the kitchen, "Whaaaat? I wasn't eavesdropping! I just want a banana!" The maknae defends himself when two pairs of eyes stare him down, making him run from the kitchen immediately.

"Nevermind what I asked." Jonghyun smiles, "I'm going to bed." The scheduler walks away, Minho jumps off the counter and follows Jonghyun in big strides.

The other three in the living room watches as Minho and Jonghyun marches to their room with a distance between them, both doesn't even acknowldge their friends' presence in the room and continues the march, and it doesn't take long when a loud thud signals Minho closing the door behind him.

"Were they fighting, Taemin-nie?" Key asks as he munches on the chips, the maknae shrugs, "I don't know. They weren't really in a nice mood when I walked into them."

"Just let them be, it's not like our relationship's a walk in the park, Key." Onew tells the two who are obviously on their way to eavesdrop on their friends, "You eavesdrop on them, I'll spill our arguments to Taemin."

"Don't you dare!" So Key sits back down with Taemin beside the resident umma.

"Leave them alone. It's Minho's first relationship, if he needs help, he'll come to us." Onew smiles, Key gushes, "That's why I'm so head over heels in love with you!"

"Oh, yuuuuccckk!" Taemin scrunches his nose and runs to his room.

-----

"Going to bed? Really? You don't even sleep!" Minho asks with his voice higher than usual.

"I just want to rest." Jonghyun sits in the middle of the bed, eyes trained on Minho.

"What's wrong?" Minho crawls next to him, voice softer now.

"I really feel like I'm on a diet. I'm pretty hungry." Jonghyun smiles, the human giggles, "No wonder you're PMS-ing."

"May I feed now?" The scheduler looks at Minho with his pouting lips and puppy eyes.

"Feed...? How?"

"You'll pass out for me." Jonghyun smiles slyly, Minho rolls his eyes, "Right. Well then, go. Feed." The human smiles, but not without blushing when Jonghyun inches closer to his face, too close Minho can already feel Jonghyun's breath on his cheeks.

"Thank you." Jonghyun inhales from his mouth, Minho's breath getting into him, then the human passes out, his head falling on Jonghyun's shoulder.