In itself, the debut performance of the songbird was one of the most awaited events every reincarnation style. Whether it was because they wanted to see and hear the songbird, or because they wanted to see the Council, or because they wanted to see the Guardians (who rarely frequented the Citadel), it was undeniable that everybody was excited for it. It was unsurprising that when the performance had been postponed by the Council, everybody was disappointed and busy gossiping and guessing when the performance would finally take place.

Seulgi had no idea what was awaiting her once she stepped out of the hanok that she safely stayed in. In the small world where she resided, the only concerns she knew of was her health and to avoid contact with others as much as possible. Ever since she had met with Taehyung and lost consciousness, she had been restricted to staying in her room and garden. It would’ve been bearable if she would’ve been allowed to see the staff that she had grown fond of but even that was taken away from her. She only frequently saw Lalisa, who was the only one that was still allowed to see her because she oversaw Seulgi’s health. The days that followed were lonely and cold and Seulgi felt more homesick than ever. Sometimes, Lalisa would walk into Seulgi crying in her bed or in the garden. It broke her heart, seeing the human so sad like that, but she could do nothing but comply with the orders she had been given.

“This is unreasonable, Taehyung,” Seokjin argued as he watched Seulgi’s reflection in the pond found in the middle of the council room. “We’re locking her in like she’s some sort of animal!”

“We’re just taking the precautions necessary to make sure nothing bad happens to her,” Taehyung replied coldly. “We can’t let anything detrimental to her well-being come even remotely close to her.”

“And this isn’t detrimental to her?” Seokjin pointed out. “Look at her! Do you think she’s benefiting from what you’re doing?”

“Then, what do you suggest? Do you have any better ideas?” Taehyung shouted. His eyes started to glow white, a sign that he was losing his temper. There was a growl in his voice as he spoke. “I don’t know if you are even rational enough to remember but our duty as the Council is to make sure nothing happens to her. You do know what will happen if something happens to her, right?”

“Of course, I know!” Seokjin replied with anger that matched Taehyung’s. Just like Taehyung, his eyes started to glow as well, except it was red instead of white. “But this is not how we are supposed to do our duty. She’s a person, for crying out loud! A person who was taken away from her family, her friends, the only home she has ever known… We can’t possibly imagine how she’s feeling right now. And I doubt we’re helping her by doing this!”

“You think I don’t know that? I’ve considered all that when I made my decision. But all that doesn’t matter when you compare the outcomes.”

“She’s a person, Taehyung! Not a military conquest or battle!”

“You weren’t there, Seokjin. You didn’t watch the color drain from her face. You didn’t watch her eyes roll back into her head. You didn’t see her fall down on the ground, completely motionless. She was barely breathing! You didn’t see that! But I did!” Taehyung growled at the top of his lungs.

A moment of silence followed his outburst. Seokjin’s eyes stopped glowing red and he looked taken aback for a moment. He still looked like he disapproved of Taehyung’s approach but he had nothing to say in response to that. Surprisingly, it was Jungkook who finally broke the silence and spoke.

“If that’s the case, let us all visit her,” he suggested as the two turned to look at him. “We are the Council, after all. We make decisions together and we hear each other out. Taehyung is right. We didn’t see it. We weren’t there. But if each of us visited her and assessed how she is, then maybe we could discuss this more properly.”

“Jungkook’s right,” Taehyung replied after a few moments of giving the suggestion some thought. “I shouldn’t have… lost my rationality like that. I gave my judgment without consulting the rest of the council. I apologize for that.”

Seokjin snorted. His expression was still cold towards Taehyung but the softness in his eyes quickly returned. He turned towards Jungkook. “Who gets to visit her first?”

Jungkook shrugged. It was obvious that Seokjin wanted to visit the girl as soon as possible. His eyes were already shining with excitement. Jungkook could do nothing but sigh. It was then that he remembered of an occurrence that happened a few nights ago. “You go first. I have...matters to first resolve before I can visit her.”

----

Seulgi sat at the edge of the water and stared at the pond. She had a hate-love relationship with the pond because it reminded her a little too much of the one she had back at home. She found herself staring at it a little too much these days but it wasn’t like there was anything else for her to do. She wasn’t allowed to see Yerim and her only communication with Lalisa was limited to the giving of meals and medicine.

Sometimes, as a way of finding some sort of happiness in her despair, she would imagine and pretend that she saw different reflections on the surface of the water. It wasn’t much but it kept her mind busy and that was what was important. When she decided to try imagining different reflections and looked to the surface of the water, she found herself looking at a handsome man. For a moment, she wondered where she might’ve seen his face before and why she would imagine his face when he gave her a mischevious smile.

With a gasp, she turned to see the handsome man behind her with his hand extended towards her. She stood up quickly, half of her relieved to finally have some sort of companion, and the other half worried and concerned over safety.

Upon seeing her reaction, Seokjin quickly put down his hand and put on his friendliest smile. “I’m terribly sorry for surprising you like that,” he said. “I didn’t mean to catch you off guard. My name is Kim Seokjin. Mostly known to you mortals as the god of love. I’ve been dying to meet you, Kang Seulgi.”

“I...I don’t understand. What are you doing here?” she asked. She was guarded, which was reasonable considering the last time she had met a god was the last time she tasted freedom.

“I wanted to apologize,” Seokjin said with a sheepish smile. “For the hurried judgment and order of my brother, Taehyung. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

Seulgi felt a surge of anger as she listened to him. All the repressed sadness and bitterness towards the gods that she had hidden all this time rushed out. “Well, how do you think I’m doing? I’m locked in like a prisoner in a place I’m supposed to call home with no one to talk to or even see. My life being puppeteered by deities who think that they’re way above me because they’re immortal and that my life is just another plaything. I’m far away from home and I’m never seeing my family again. I’m left being stuck in the dark, not knowing anything about what’s happening to me and why I’m being locked up. But I guess, I’m okay. Thanks for asking!”

Seokjin stared at her. She was panting heavily and it was clear that she was still very emotional. He decided not to respond right away and to let her calm down before he responded. To his surprise, she looked up a