----- Head Quarters -----

“You’ve trained enough now. I’m sure you will be able to succeed as a death messenger.” Jinyoung rolled his eyes as he heard his assistant. He just finished his training to be a death messenger and is waiting to get his first job.

“Daehwi, it's just erasing humans' lives. I’m sure it’s easy.”

Daehwi, a spirit assigned to assist Jinyoung with the task of ending lives of people that were already dying. Daehwi has bit of an attitude problem and is feisty.

In their 'home', there is a special room that contained hourglasses for all the citizen in the village they are assigned to, also the village which Jinyoung describes as 'the loud and busy trash-like town'. Once an hourglass moves, that means that the person who owns that hourglass only have a limited time left to live and it is Jinyoung's job to put that person out of his/her misery by stealing his/her soul.

“Jinyoung!! One of the hourglass is rustling!” Daehwi said

Jinyoung nodded and walked over to the hourglass that was moving. The sand was moving slowly, but the person would most likely die within the week. According to the label on the hourglass, the owner was named Kim Yerim

“It's time for you to do your death messenger work” Jinyoung said

“Where's our target?” Jinyoung asked as he fixed his outfit. Even though he is a death messenger, he could still be seen by humans.

“She’s in the hospital. Let’s go.” Daehwi nodded his head and materialized his body to form a toy duck. Jinyoung just laughed and took Daehwi into his arms, holding him.

“Of all of the forms to choose, why a toy duck?” 

“I don't question you, so you don't have the right to question me. This is my body not yours. So just shut up and fly to the hospital!”

 

----- Meanwhile with Samuel & Yerim @ Yerim's Hospital Room -----

“Are you sure you don’t need anything?” Samuel asked as he watched his sister lay back in bed. They just returned from a walk around the hospital.

“I’m alright, don’t worry about it Sam. It is just hard to breathe without my oxygen mask.” YeRim smiled, eventhough Samuel wasn’t able to see because of the oxygen mask that was covering almost half of YeRim’s face.

“Okay....if you say so. The doctor said he wanted to talk to me for a bit. Be good and sleep okay?” Samuel gave his sister a hug before waving goodbye and leaving the room.

“He worries too much.” YeRim sighed and took off the oxygen mask. She took a deep breath in and loudly exhaled. Even though she is required to use her oxygen mask all day, she would often take it off when she is alone.

“Hello.”

YeRim turned, hearing a voice coming from the window of her hospital room. Her eyes widened when she saw a young man standing on the ledge.

“Are you Kim Yerim?”

“Yes, I'm Kim Yerim...”

Jinyoung paused for a moment as he examined the girl's appearance. Though she is already dying due to an unknown illness, there was something about her that somehow shine. She looked as if she was somewhat glad being hospitalized.

“Jinyoung, what’s wrong?” Daehwi asked, watching as the death messenger stared at the girl.

“Did that duck... just talk?” YeRim diverted her attention to the duck and smiled a bit.

“Ohhhh yes I diddddd I ammm the haunted duckkkk ohhhhh” Daehwi said while doing ghost noises but ended up sounding like a ghost with asthma.

“Ohhhh yes I diddddd I ammm the haunted duckkkk ohhhhh” Jinyoung imitated with a serious face to annoy Yuta but only to be bitten by the latter.

“Are you an angel? You were flying a moment ago.” YeRim continued to speak.

“I’m not an angel. My name is Bae Jinyoung and I’m a death messenger.”

“Did you... come to kill me?” YeRim asked, looking completely calm.

“I won’t kill you. But I came here to let you die. If I kiss you, it will all be over in an instant."

 

 

----- Meanwhile with Samuel @ the Doctor's Office -----

 

“YeRim only has about a week left till she.... But if we use medicine on her, she may be able to live for a little longer. However, she will still have to stay in the hospital and she won’t be able to do as many activities as she usually does. Both of your parents have already passed away and you are her brother. It is up to you to make the decision.”

Samuel sighed and looked at the floor as the doctor spoke to him. He knew that his sister didn’t have much of chance of living, even with the use of medicine. He also knew that he had to make the decision for his beloved sister.

“With all due respect, Doctor..… I don’t think my sister will be happy if we do this, only let her live but still held in the hospital. I want her to be happy and I want to see her smile until the end. So, my decision will be to not use the medicine.” Samuel felt tears escape his eyes when he spoke. He then let out a choked sob. The doctor just nodded and pat Samuel's head.

“Maybe this is for the best.”

 

 

----- Meanwhile with Yerim, Jinyoung & Daehwi @ Yerim's Hospital Room -----

 

Jinyoung approached YeRim’s bed slowly before leaning over the girl. He was merely inches away from YeRim’s lips when suddenly the patient started to laugh outloud.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t help but laugh! This is the first time that this--” Yerim couldn’t even finish her sentence as she is laughing so hard. Jinyoung's eyes widened, feeling shocked at the reaction he was given.

“What the hell?”“What did I do wrong?” Jinyoung thought, watching as the girl tried to catch her breath.

“You can kiss me, but not yet…   Let's be friends first ” YeRim smiled and placed the oxygen mask back over her face, putting a physical barrier between her lips and Jinyoung's.

 

 

----- Back at Head Quarters -----

 

“What the hell was that?! Why didn’t you just kiss her and steal her soul like you were supposed to?!” Daehwi screamed as he changed his form back into a spirit when they went back to their base. When he is a spirit, he is invisible, making it impossible for Jinyoung to avoid his scolding.

“I don’t know…She wasn’t surprised when I told her I was going to kill her. Humans are different from death messengers. They’re supposed to shed tears.” Jinyoung sighed and went to lay on his bed. He stared up at the ceiling and let out another soft sigh.

“She's just a strange girl” Daehwi said.

“I have no time to hesitate. I have to take her life tomorrow... Before the sand completely falls down.” He said to himself before forcing himself to fall asleep.

 

 

----- The Next Day  @ the Hospital -----

 

Jinyoung disguised himself as a human to visit YeRim. Daehwi was one again in his favorite toy duck form and was being held by Hansol. He walked through the hallways of the hospital, towards YeRim’s room. He passed many people on the way, but they did not mind him at all. However, once he reached YeRim’s room, it was empty. There was no one laying in the bed.

“Are you here to see YeRim?” Someone suddenly spoke, surprising Jinyoung. The death messenger turned and saw a young nurse staring back at him.

“She’s taking a walk outside right now. You’ll be find her in the garden.” Jinyoung nodded and left the hospital room. As he walked towards the garden, he could feel the amount of death that cursed the hospital. He wondered if he would have to take more souls from his hospital.

Once he reached the garden, he could see that YeRim is sitting on a bench. The young woman id looking up into the sky with a smile on her face.

“Is it even alright for you not to be resting? Can you even breathe out here?”

YeRim turned her head and saw Jinyoung who is already seating next to her.

“Yay, you really did come back to see me. I’m surprised.” YeRim smiled, but Jinyoung only stared in return.

“You do know what my goal is, right?”

“Didn’t you come here to let me die?” YeRim said in a calmly. It was as if she didn’t mind Jinyoung's task, as if she didnt mind dying.

“Though, if you just leave me alone, I’ll be dying soon anyway. So what’s the point? I have bad lungs and it’s really hard for me to breathe.” YeRim smiled at the messenger of death before staring back up at the sky.

“Don’t you feel sad?” Jinyoung asked, feeling a bit curious.

“The doctor told me that I don’t have that much time left. I don’t want to waste that precious time feeling sad or crying. I want to spend it with my brother and my friends. I want to make happy memories for them to remember me by. I want to spend this time doing things that I want to do. You know, there’s this movie that I’ve been wanting to watch. Have you ever heard of the movie Before I Wake? I think you don't but yeah I've always wanted to watch that”

 

----- The Day After that @ the Hospital -----

‘Why am I doing this? I have a job to finish but I’m acting stupid.’ Jinyoung thought as he held Daehwi while making his way to YeRim’s room. He was also holding a small bag which contained a DVD.

When he reached YeRim's room, he almost ran into someone that was leaving. The young man was shorter than Jinyoung and somewhat resembled YeRim.

“Oops! Sorry! Oh wait, are you YeRim’s friend?”

Jinyoung blinked and nodded his head.

“Oh, Please keep her company while I go run some errands. Thank you!” The young man bowed before running off. From what Jinyoung could observe, He is YeRim’s brother and he seemed to be in a hurry.

“Oh, you’re back again today?” YeRim said as Jinyoung entered the room. The patient is wearing her oxygen mask and is lying in bed.

“Of course.” Jinyoung simply replied, walking closer to the bed. He tossed the small bag over to YeRim while waiting for her reaction.

“What’s this? Ohhh! Before I Wake! Did you get this for me?” Even though YeRim was wearing the oxygen mask, Jinyoung could still see the bright smile on her face. The girl seemed genuinely happy about the movie.

“It’s just a movie.  No need to be all worked up about it.”

“But you still got it for me. That makes me happy.” YeRim took off her oxygen mask and stood up. Jinyoung could see that the young woman’s movements is very limited and she was running out of breath after walking just a few steps.

“Since you got it for me, you should watch it with me.” YeRim the television that was in her hospital room and placed the DVD into the player.

Jinyoung knew better than to decline the request, so he just took a seat on the chair that was next to the bed. Once the movie was playing, YeRim simply returned to her bed and wore her oxygen mask again. After a few minutes, YeRim’s breathing was normal. “When I die, don’t cry, okay?” YeRim suddenly said, surprising both Daehwi and Jinyoung.

“Don’t worry, death messengers aren’t capable of crying.” Daehwi replied, glancing at Jinyoung for a moment. The messenger’s expression was unreadable, as if he is thinking about something deep.

 

 

----- Back @ the Head Quarters -----

“Jinyoung, you have to take her soul soon. We don’t have much time left until the sand in her hourglass runs out.” Daehwi said, staring at Yerim's hourglass. If his calculations were correct, YeRim only had about two days left.

“I know. I’ll do it tonight.” Jinyoung frowned and let out a soft sigh.

He wasn’t even sure why he was hesitating. This was his first job as a death messenger, so he didn’t want to disappoint Daehwi or the other messengers. However, there is something about YeRim that felt comfortable it is as if Jinyoung enjoyed the human’s presence.  

“She’s just too happy for a dying person.”

 

 

----- That same night @ the Hospital -----

 

Jinyoung had returned to the hospital that night, this time without Daehwi. He didn’t want the spirit to distract him. Since visitors were not allowed at night, Jinyoung didn’t have to disguise himself as a human. He flew to the window of YeRim’s hospital room and peeked inside, seeing an empty room.

“Where does she go at this time of night?!”

Jinyoung flew up the roof of the hospital, not knowing where to start for his search. He knew that it was hard for YeRim to breathe, so he couldn’t have gone far.

“Jinyoung? What are you doing here?” 

Jinyoung glanced down and saw Yerim sitting on the roof, as if it was normal for her to be there. The young woman was incredibly pale, but she was still smiling very widely.

“YeRim! What are you doing up here?! Why aren’t you sleeping? You’re sick!”

Jinyoung quickly approached the young woman and stood in front of her, crossing his arms. The death messenger wasn’t sure why he felt so concerned over the human.

“I’m up here because it’s a bit easier to breathe at night. The pollution isn’t as bad when its night time.” YeRim just smiled before coughing a few times.

“I’m also thinking about my brother. Once I pass, he’s going to be alone. We lost our parents a long time ago, but now I'll be gone. I’m scared that he’ll be lost when I’m not around.” YeRim continued to smile eventhough tears escaped her eyes. She quickly wiped the tears away before looking back up at Jinyoung.

“I know you’re not an angel.... but can you at least watch over Samuel when I’m gone?”

Jinyoung was shocked at the sudden request, but he said nothing. He tried to maintain his expressionless façade. He didn’t know how to react to Yerim’s words.

“Just hurry up and return to your room. You need your rest.”

Jinyoung looked away before flying away. He couldn’t face YeRim’s tears or her request. He just couldn’t face Yerim anymore. The human had such a strong effect on him, but Jinyoung had no idea why.

It was almost as if Jinyoung didn’t want to take YeRim’s soul.

“I’m a death messenger. I'm supposed to end humans' life as if it was nothing. This is supposed to be easy for me. So why can’t just do my job?” Jinyoung said to himself.

So what was the right thing to do?

 

 

----- Back @ the Head Quarters -----

 

“Jinyoung, there is barely any sand left. You failed last night, but today is YeRim’s last day. Even if we just leave her alone, she will die anyways. It’s better to just send her off. We need her soul.” Daehwi said. Ever since the death messenger has returned last night, he could tell that Jinyoung had failed at stealing YeRim’s soul. Daehwi knew that the first time stealing a soul could be difficult, but they were simply running out of time.

Today, YeRim had to die.

“I wish I was an angel so that I could keep you alive.”

 

 

----- Yerim's Hospital Room -----

 

“Jinyoung, you’re here!”

Jinyoung entered the hospital room.YeRim was lying in bed, once again wearing her oxygen mask. The young woman looked weak and tired.

“It’s hard for me to breathe today, so I can’t get out of bed. And sorry about the request I made last night, I know that it was silly for me to ask you that.”

“YeRim… it’s time.”

Jinyoung approached her bed and sat next to YeRim. He reached over and slowly removed the mask from YeRim’s face. The patient just remained silent as the death messenger continued to speak.

“I’ve come to take your soul. Just close your eyes and all your pains will be all over… Goodbye.”

Before the young death messenger could complete his task, YeRim suddenly leaned forward and pressed her lips against Jinyoung's. The kiss lasted for a second, but Jinyoung's eyes still widened in surprise. YeRim quickly pulled away and laid herself back onto the bed.

“It was nice knowing you, Jinyoung. Thank you.... for everything.” YeRim smiled as her eyelids closed for the final time. Jinyoung watched as YeRim's chest stopped moving, signifying the end of her breathing.

Jinyoung stared at YeRim's lifeless body for a few seconds before pulling away. He was shocked at how sudden YeRim’s death was, even though he was the cause. He had successfully stolen YeRim’s soul, but for some reason he felt empty. He was experiencing a feeling that he didn’t quite know.

Daehwi suddenly arrived and said

“Jinyoung, we need to leave before the doctor or nurses show up. Let’s go.” Daehwi then pulled the death messenger towards the window and they quickly flew away. However, as they were leaving, Jinyoung couldn’t help but look back at YeRim.

“At least YeRim had finally found peace.”

 

 

----- Months later @ the Head Quarters -----

 

A few months later, Jinyoung had become a very skilled messenger of death. He no longer hesitated whenever he needed to end a human’s life. However, he would sometimes think of YeRim and how difficult it used to be for him to steal a soul.

“A new death messenger will be joining us today. She's been sent to you because you’ve become one of the best. You’ve been asked to train her.” Daehwi said to Jinyoung while in his spirit form. He didn’t think it was necessary to transform into a toy duck anymore.

“What’s her name?” Jinyoung asked, staring at the multiple hourglasses that were placed on the shelf. These were the hourglasses of the people whose soul was already stolen by Jinyoung.

Before Daehwi could reply, a sudden burst of light had appeared in the middle of the room. Jinyoung closed his eyes for a moment and waited for it to disappear. Once the room had finally returned to normal, the death messenger opened his eyes.

“Hello, I’m the new death messenger. My name is YeRim.”

Jinyoung's eyes widened as he stared at the new death messenger that appeared infront of him. Even though Daehwi wasn’t visible, Jinyoung could still feel his surprise as well.

Jinyoung knew that the death messengers were people that had already passed away, but this was the first time that a death messenger was someone that he knew. However, death messengers normally have their memories of their human life erased, so it was impossible for YeRim to remember him.

“My name is Jinyoung and your training begins today.”

 

The End

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

 

Okkkkk so thankyou for reading this very boring story (much more boring than the other stories I've written) which is also insanely longer which I very much regret writing...

Im sorry for making you suffer and for giving you agonizing pain from reading this... I will now leave this pile of poop of an excuse as a story here for you to judge, GOODBYE.

Again, I'm really sorry for the agonizing pain this story has caused, please forgive me. TT-TT 

-Seventeen_Minghao