Chaerin raised her head when she felt something brush her shoulders. Yoongi stood beside her, securing his black blazer across her frame. A shiver ran up her spine as her eyes met his. His eyes were as immensely sad and breathtakingly beautiful as she had remembered them to be. He was drenched completely from the rain and like always, dressed in black.

“You’re going to catch a cold like that,” he scolded softly, looking down at her with a sorrowful smile.

She rose to her feet and took a step back unconsciously as she looked at him for the first time in an entire year—no, for the first time in years. She could see him clearly now, with no barrier between them. There wasn’t a trace of happiness to be found in his countenance as if he were the embodiment of sadness itself. Tears trailed down her cheek as she continued to stare at him wordlessly. It really was him.

“…It’s you.”

He nodded solemnly as he took another step towards her, only for her to take yet another step backward.

“Are you afraid?” he spoke quietly, his voice lighter than air.

 She hesitated before shaking her head in denial.

“I just… I didn’t think…” She gave a shaky, uneven breath as the tears continued to fall. “I thought I would never see you again.”

He smiled half-heartedly at her. “I never left.”

And with those words, he took one step closer to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. She hesitated for a brief moment before wrapping her arms around him. His body felt like literal ice, yet warmth existed in his embrace.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed as tears trickled down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“For all the times I made you cry instead of smile,” he murmured as he pulled her even closer.

“Why did you do it?” she whispered wistfully.

“Do what?”

“Why did you sacrifice your life to save mine? You had so much to live for, Yoongi.”

A sincere smile formed on his lips as he pulled away from the embrace and faced her. He wiped her tears away gently.

“Because it was the right thing to do.” Those were the exact words a wise woman had once told him.

--

“So what happens to us now?” she asked as she gazed into the sky. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation—it was absolutely delirious—but she couldn’t bring herself to laugh. She was truly, madly in love with a dead man.

“We start again,” he chuckled.

He turned to her. “Hi, I’m Min Yoongi. I’m the Grim Reaper. It’s nice to meet you.”

She smiled, yet the smile failed to reach her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you, Yoongi. I’m Chaerin the human.”

“How old are you? What are your hobbies? Do you have a boyfriend?”

She laughed for real this time. It was a laugh of relief, a laugh of untainted joy.

“I’m 23. I wait at deserted bus stops in the rain for a living. And I think I’m looking at him right now. How about you, Min Yoongi?”

He grinned. “I’m 24, although I don’t know how long I’ve been that age. I lead souls into the afterlife as a hobby, but that’s a tale for another day. I have a girlfriend. She’s very lovely.”

“Oh?” she raised a brow. “I’m getting kind of jealous.”

He laughed wholeheartedly. “You should be. She’s amazing.”

--

Yoongi stood in front of the glass window in the living room, his hands buried in his pockets. He turned around and spoke softly to the figure who sat in the chair across from him.

“Hoseok.”

Hoseok lifted his gaze from his notebook and faced Yoongi, absently twirling his pen between his fingers.   

“Yeah?”

“Nothing... I just wanted to call your name.”

Hoseok lowered his gaze back to the notebook and continued to bore his eyes into the blank white page. After a minute of silence, he spoke, his voice stained with sadness.

“Yoongi?”

 “Hm?”

Hoseok shook his head. “Nothing. I just wanted to hear your voice.”

They would usually tease each other when the situation turned serious, but not this time. This time all they did was gaze at each other from across the room, a sorrowful smile etched upon their lips.

The devil had given him 24 days. One day for each year of his life. On the 25^th day, he would be damned to hell as the devil’s servant.