Chapter 2.0: Dream

Jeongyeon

I opened my eyes. I found myself laying on my bedroom bed. For the first time, I did not dream about Kou nor the past. I turn my head to see the time displayed on my clock: 4 AM. I closed my eyes again and proceeded to have my rest. I don’t know what happened that woke me up – thinking the AC noise must be the reason (which is unlikely). However, before I could surf my way back to sleep, a voice in the air caught my attention.

     “Hel… h-help… help me…” someone whispered. My sense of hearing is powerful that I can hear the wishes of creatures (human or not). But not all wishes can reach me. Only a special few can reach their wishes to me – and those wishes are either a dying plea or a desperate cry.

     “Someone… p-please… a-a-anyone…” A long pause before the person continues, “God… if you can hear… please… help me… God…”

     I released an exasperating sigh. This is the fifth time I heard of a creature’s desperate wish after 500 years.

     With a heave, I stood up from my bed and took my coat from my closet. I wore my shoes and glasses, and with a step, my surroundings changed – I’m in a park near Dongdaemun. It’s cold and smoke came out of my mouth and nose – a sign that the temperature is below its normal level.

     No creature seems to be in sight – a place completely isolated.

     Now, let us see the one who wished for a miracle.

     I saw a man’s body on a pathway – a few steps from where I teleported. I sensed a pungent aroma coming from him, and the source came from a wound right on his heart that was inflicted by a knife. He’s hardly breathing, and I can hear the slow beating of his heart – losing its pace as seconds pass by. I presume he’s been laying on the ground for almost an hour. For him to stay alive this long proves how adamant he is to live.

     He insinuates, “P-please… help…” when he saw me looking at him.

     “A human,” I spoke with a sense of sarcasm, “My sleep was disturbed by a human. How pleasing…”

     I can hear wishes from any creature and hearing them (especially a human’s wish) are rare. As a god, I have the ability to hear such wishes, however, not all can be heard. The reason why human wishes cannot be heard nor granted is because of the greed in their hearts. Only the rarest few can be answered.

     “A-Am… am I going to die? I don’t want to die just yet.” He asked, gasping for air.

     He is still fighting to live – I wonder why? Does he fear death? Is it regret? Desperation? Or is it greed?

     “I don’t engage with human problems, nor tampering with life and death. If it’s your time to depart from this world and be with the Almighty, you have no other options but to accept and live in the sanctuary—or suffer in damnation.” I answered. A tear fell from his eyes, and I saw his past – a way for me to judge whether this human deserves a chance or not.

     “You’re still alive after the assailant stabbed you,” I add, after seeing what happened to him. “A miracle that you made it. Your heartbeat is degrading fast, yet you still have the energy to pray and wish for a miracle. How… rare. A fatal wound would kill one human right on spot—your desperation reached its way to me, human.”

     Another tear fell from the man’s eyes, “Please… m-my wife… my boy…”

     I looked around and released a sigh. Grim Reapers are not doing their job properly. It is almost his time, yet no one is here for his soul.

     “I reduce myself from reviving a living human being or saving them from the hands of death. However, if I won’t save you now, your son will perish. I’m giving you extra time to save your son. Hearing your wish was fate and do consider yourself lucky since I heard it louder than the others.” I touch the wound of the man, and luminescent blue surrounds it. The light disappeared and so does that wound.

     I stood up straight and watched the man check the wound while lifting his body.

     He stared at me, “Who are you?”

     “Oh, I’m just someone who happened to have the ability to heal humans once in a blue moon.” I sarcastically replied.

     “Are you… God?”

     “God?” I scoffed. “Humans, typical. I am not the god you know. I am simply a random Samaritan who happens to hear your undying wish. Your wish made its way to me. Imagine, thousands or millions of people (or other creatures) in Seoul are begging or wishing at this very moment but I only heard yours.”

     “I—”

     “Listen, I only added a little bit of time to your lifespan. Once that time ends, your heart will stop beating and you will…” I stopped – not attempting to continue.

     The man sighed. He took his wallet from his jacket and stared at the picture in it. “Thank you,” he smiled at me. “Thank you for the extra time.” He bowed and left me all alone in the cold park.

     A girl in an all-black suit came running to the scene. She kept looking around – searching for someone with panic on her face.

     “Oh, man! I’m way too late!” she groaned. “Irene’s going to pay for this!”

     “Blaming your tardiness on a friend, Jenny?”

     Jenny’s eyes widened when she saw me. “Y-You!” She aimed her index finger at me, “W-What are you doing here, you sly and arrogant snake?! Since when you arrived in Korea?!”

     “Is that how you greet your friend after all these years? Ouch. Time does pass by so fast, huh? It makes people change drastically. To answer your question, I arrived yesterday morning.”

     Jennie crossed her arms on her chest. “After 10 years you finally showed up. It was peaceful when you weren’t here. Now that the oh-so-great of water guardian is back, reapers will have to write various reports on missing souls!”

     I chuckled while shaking my head. “It’s amusing to mess with the reapers. Is it too late to apologize for using you guys as a form of entertainment? Especially you, Kim Jennie. You’re a short-tempered reaper in many ways.”

     Jeannie groaned out of annoyance, “I can’t believe I am letting a snake delay my job! Move—I have a soul to fetch.”

     “It’s because you are late you missed the human. Anyway, don’t worry. I only added a bit of my life for him.” I answered. “He needs the extra time to save another life, you see. Would you rather report a missing soul or a report about an infant death that is not on the list?”

     Jennie opened but closed it – losing the conversation between us. She looked away with a scoff, “A missing soul whose lifespan was tempered isn’t that bad.”

     I glanced at my watch, “I’m going and check the human. I gave him a portion of my life after all.”

     Jennie and I are in front of the hospital. People come in and go through the glassed doors; women and men in white coats assist the ambulance that comes; relatives come crying; cars hastily arrive with worried guardians.

     “More humans die each day, and more accidents happen. It’s different from before.” Jennie spoke – the tone of her voice changing to a serious tension. “Grim Reapers had to work overtime to finish each task. We even had another backup from the northern country for help.”

     “North Korea’s grim reapers? So, they helped you before, that is new to my ears.”

     We saw the man go out of the hospital. He saw me and Jennie at the far corner. I nod my head and turn my back – walking away from the hospital.

     I noticed Jennie checking her gift while sending her message to the other reapers using her Shadow while we amble our way to the park.

     Jennie will be taking the time I gave to the man and returning it to me, and she will take out her gift and send the man to the trial. A human being can choose whether he or she will accept the time given to them – in the man’s case, he didn’t accept it instead I gave him time (a loophole). If the time runs out, reapers must take the soul immediately so that he or she will enter a trial. A trial is a judgment. If found guilty, one will be sent to the opposite of the sanctuary. If not, one will be able to move on and climb the stairs to the oasis.

     We stopped and faced the man.

     “Thank you,” the man said with a smile. “I got to see my little boy for the first time, and the last time.”

     I spoke, “Your time is almost up. Let me ask you, do you believe in death?” the man nodded his head as a yes. “There is someone who will take the time from you. She’ll explain what will happen next.”

     Jennie took her hat off whilst introducing herself. She talked with the man and explained to him about his trial. The man remained calm and listened to Jennie. He didn’t even question the latter when Jennie revealed herself. Reapers need not introduce themselves – only on rare occasions such as this.

      “I see,” the man looked at me, “Thank you for the time.”

     I answered, “I answered your wish—that’s all.”

     “Tell me, youngster, did I do well in this life?” I nodded my head. “I see. I’m delighted. Thank you, God. Thank you for hearing my wish. You may not be the god that I know, but I have a feeling you are a different divine being. Nevertheless, you helped me—thank you.”

     Jennie took out her cane from her hat like how a magician takes out a white rabbit. She tapped the floor and a circular light illuminate the ground. A pocket watch appeared on the man’s head and passed through me. With another tap, the white light covered the man and he vanished.

     Jennie twirled her cane around her fingers and leaned on it when it met the ground. “This is my favourite part of reaping! I really love my gift!” she exclaimed, hugging her cane tight. “I have the fanciest one! I’m in love!”

     “A reaper feeling love?” I questioned.

     The smile on Jennie’s lips disappeared. She rolled her eyes, “It was an exaggeration.” A beeping sound from her pockets caught her attention.

     “Irene is waiting for you,” I