He is quite a classy man.

Or at least he used to be.

He opened his closet only to frown at the wide, almost empty space. What used to be his collection of designer clothing had been reduced to a measly number of three suits, three dress shirts, and three pairs of pants. He used to own so much more; even lands and airplanes and jets. But now he had to deal with three pairs of everything.

Oh, how life had turned upside down for him.

Telling himself to get over it since he literally has no choice anyway, he put on a baby blue dress shirt, navy blue slacks, and thick, navy blue coat. He carefully puts on his necktie, making sure it looks perfect before combing back his hair, seeing to it that not a strand fell over his face. He put on his one and only Rolex left and his shiniest pair of dress shoes before heading out to the waiting sedan, the only one left from their grand collection of cars.

Inside, today’s paper is already laid out for him to read along with a cup of hot coffee on the cup holder. The driver takes him to his destination as he sips on his coffee and flips through the news, reading through stories of car accidents and dating celebrities caught on the act. It was the small luxury he still got to enjoy after the incident.

He stops, however, right on the first page of the business and finance section where an article discussing about how the executive director of Havana Hotel Group and Blue Foundation CEO Wendy Son had yet again been personally conducting a gift giving activity all around the North Gyeongsang province since the beginning of November to spread the love on holiday season. It is also stated that the Blue Foundation’s final stop was Pyeonghae; the quaint little town where the CEO had come from. The successful young woman has been staying there since December until now, March. There, she spent her holidays and well-deserved vacation with the townspeople she had grown up with such as the young, promising painter Kang Seulgi and her older brother, a Catholic priest named Kang Minhyuk.

His eyes left the text and flits from one attached photo to another. Wendy Son is a woman whose beauty oozes even through the newspaper’s low quality print with her flowing dark hair, bright eyes, and smile that shines even through the cheap material.

Ah, yes. My angel.

Right eye twitching, his gaze stops at the last photo—one with Wendy Son and her family—and gingerly caresses the girl’s printed face with his fingers that trembled with anticipation.

Patience, we’ll get there, he told himself, it would definitely be worth the wait.

Wendy Son Seungwan is having a good time so far.

The Red is situated in a quaint village called Mujigae and her stay has been wonderful. The weather has been kind, the accommodation is comfortable, and the villagers, though nosy and meddlesome at first (still is), has been lovely and hospitable. But what she likes the most is being reunited with her childhood friends; Kang Seulgi and her older brother by three years, Kang Minhyuk.

Wendy grew up in Pyeonghae’s Little Wanderer’s Orphan Home. Until she got adopted, she had been there since she was an infant, left alone by her mother due to reasons she will never know. It’s fine. She doesn’t hold it against her. Wendy chooses to count her blessings instead of complaining about her adversities. At least she met wonderful people because of that circumstance. A blessing in disguise, she likes to think of it.

Along with her, Seulgi and Minhyuk grew up in the orphanage too and treated—still do—Wendy as their own sister. They are family with a bond that runs deeper than just blood. She was contented with how things were but a family decided to adopt her when she was ten, taking her away from the humble town and to the bustling city of Seoul and soon, the fascinatingly hectic city of Toronto where she studied from high school and finished college with master’s in business at the young age of twenty-two, thanks to her superior intellect. Wendy isn’t bitter about being separated from her friends either. She focused on the fact that she’s lucky she got into such a well-off family and had the opportunity of studying in prestigious schools and experience the better parts of life.

Right after getting her master’s degree, Wendy flew back to Seoul and got an executive position in their company because her foster parents thought she was ready for it—her excellent grades told them so.  A year into the job, she successfully convinced her parents and the entire board of directors to branch out a charity foundation and has been spearheading the said foundation for two years now and so far, the Havana Hotel Group has no complaints about it as it actually does help in beautifying the group’s image.

Now, she’s back in her hometown to relax and enjoy her holidays while at the same time spreading the happiness of Christmas by giving away gifts all over North Gyeongsang. She has been roaming the province since November, stopping by different towns everyday while saving Pyeonghae for last so she can have a four-month vacation after finishing the rest of the activities by December. As it is already March, she only has one month left. She cannot believe that time went by that fast.

At the moment, Wendy’s at the porch of the guesthouse, warming-up for her daily early morning jogs, being a health nut to the bone. She likes exercising especially running outdoors. The view of the neighbourhood and the fresh air helps her think with a clearer mind yet at the same time, distracts her from her thoughts if she wants an escape from reality.

“Seungwan-noona!” she barely heard the voice through the loud music from her EarPods. She took one off and turned.

Tae Youngsik was running towards her, grinning wide and waving enthusiastically, tailed by three more boys. Wendy smiled and waves back. She knows them as the neighbourhood high school boys who run with her every day since week one. She thinks it’s sweet of them to accompany the new lady in town and so she’s grateful for their concern.

“Good morning, noona.” he greets, stopping by the staircase and panting hard, “Running again today?”

“Good morning, boys,” she replies, leaning against the porch railing to smile down at them, “I thought I already made it clear that running is for every day?”

Hong Chulsoo, the youngest of the four, jumps on the balls of his feet, “Then we’re coming with you!”

Wendy smiles, “Alright. But you’ve got to warm-up first because—”

“Warming-up is important if we don’t want to get muscle strains,” Kim Jongmun, the reliable one, finished the sentence for her with a grin, “We’ve heard that for the nth time now, noona—”

“Not that we’re complaining,” Lee Younghwan quipped.

“—so let’s get warmed-up so we can run before the sun and the grumpy, good-for-nothing Sheriff Kim rises, shall we?”

With that, they stretched together before finally jogging off, following the dirt trail Wendy’s been running through since she arrived. The path goes through a meadow where wildflowers had started blooming prettily. Then she would enter the woods and jog along the creek for three miles, turning around and running back out to the meadows for another three, and finally running the last two miles back to the guesthouse.

When Wendy arrives back to The Red and the boys had gone back home after cooling-down, waving good bye, she takes off again to Cosmic Latte, a coffee shop just a few blocks away to grab some warm bread to start her day.

“Another bag of bagels today, Seungwan?” Kim Minseok, one of the baristas, greets her with a warm smile as she entered the shop, “I can fix you a cup of latte along with that,”

The barista sure is friendly but Wendy cannot say the same for the cashier. He’s tall, lanky, grumpy teenager who does his job sloppily, frowning at customers and talking in a disrespectful, clipped tone. Wendy isn’t quite fond of him. Being a hard worker, she has something against people who doesn’t do their job well.

Wendy tears her eyes off the cashier and smiles back at the barista instead, “Can you make that two, please?”

Minseok starts to work on her order, “Oh, right. Seulgi’s staying in town for the holidays, isn’t she?”

Wendy sits on the stool by the counter and watches him make their coffee, “Yeah. She’s helping out at the monastery for the incoming spring party this 31^th. Are you going to attend?”

Minseok briefly glances up from pouring the steamed milk to shoot her a smile, “Of course. We wouldn’t miss the party for the world. I heard Hyuk-hyung’s band will play? Their music is great.” he finished the drinks and went to put bagels into a paper bag. “I put in two steamed buns in there. It’s on the house.”

Wendy smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you. Seulgi would be elated,” she paid for her order, the cashier grumbling under his breath about talkative foreigners. She chose to ignore and heads to the door, “Thanks for today too, Minseok-oppa. See you around.” she bid good bye and heads back to the guesthouse, greeting the neighbours along the way.

Living across The Red are the middle-aged cousins Hong Jinkyung and Kim Sook, the latter already out watering their plants. The ladies have been warm and welcoming since Wendy’s return to the town but they’ve also been quite inquisitive, bombarding her with questions every time they have a chance but nevertheless, Wendy finds it fun talking to them so she stops by to say hi.

“Sook-unnie!” Wendy called out, approaching her.

The woman put down her watering can to give her a warm hug, “Seungwan! Been out running again?”

“Yep! I just came from Cosmic Latte to buy some coffee and bread. Do you want a bagel?”

“No, no, you and Seulgi can have that. Jinkyung’s making injeolmi inside.” Sook then clapped her hands together, eyes lighting up, “Oh, I know. I’ll tell her to make an extra batch so I can deliver them to you later, how’s that?”

Wendy tried to reject the offer, “Oh, no, unnie. You don’t really have to.”

Sook waved her away, “Nonsense. You do it for us all the time! Let us return the favour, okay?”

Wendy yielded with a defeated smile, “Okay, unnie. If you insist. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” the lady gave her a kind smile which then fades. “Oh, that’s right. Seungwan-ah, is the news true?”

“What news?”

Sook looked around before stepping closer to Wendy and continuing in a hushed tone, “Word’s been going around that you’re in a relationship with Choi Taejoon. Yesterday, I heard him tell Miran and her friends that he’s planning on marrying you.”

Wendy’s beyond bewildered. “He’s planning to what now?” the idea is so ridiculous she lets out a laugh, “Unnie, you know that can’t be true.”

“Yes, yes. I knew it.” Sook nodded to herself, “Now go along and wake your friend up. I swear that kid doesn’t get up until the sun’s well risen in the sky. She’s a hibernating bear, really.” she tutted and continued to shoo Wendy away, making the latter laugh.

“Thanks in advance for the rice cake, Sook-unnie!” she says one last time before entering the guesthouse. She sighed in contentment as the warm indoors heat her up, putting down the paper bag and coffee on the dining table before going upstairs to wake Seulgi for breakfast.

Wendy didn’t bother knocking and barged into the bedroom, Seulgi’s signature scent of flowers, a hint of musk, and the overwhelming scent of paint greets her nose while the messy sight of littered paint tubes, dirty paintbrushes, crumpled papers, and unfinished paintings greets her eyes. There, lying dangerously close to the edge of the bed is Kang Seulgi with her left limbs dangling off and the rest of her threatening to follow.

Sighing and shaking her head, Wendy makes her way to the sleeping girl while tidying stuff in the process, and shakes her awake.

“Hey, Seul, wake up. It’s already 7.”

“Ngh…five more minutes…”

“Don’t you have to be at the monastery by 8?”

“…”

Wendy sighs again and shakes the girl harder, “Seul, come on. Monsignor is waiting for you.” the girl remained unmoving. Wendy takes out her phone and began to read, “The Bible says, ‘Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.’ so you better be up and work on making things perfect for the sight of your God or something.”

Seulgi sprang up instantly, rubbing her eyes. Her hair stuck out on all direction and she still had trails of saliva down her cheek. Wendy grins at her friend’s messy state.

“…but didn’t the Lord also say ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’?” the girl retorted, voice husky from sleep.

Wendy laughed, “Well, first go to the monastery, do your job, and after that you’ll be given rest,” she laughed some more when Seulgi replied with an annoyed grunt, “Go shower, sleepyhead. I’ll wash up in the bathroom downstairs.”

They finished bathing and doing their morning rituals in thirty minutes. Washed up and dressed, the two girls sit at the dining table, chewing on bagels and sipping on lattes while exchanging stories.

“When are you going to enter seminary?” Wendy asks during a pause in their conversation. She knows how Seulgi wants to be a nun since they were young and she supports it because why not? Her friend’s all too kind and precious. She fits the job description quite well.

Seulgi hums thoughtfully, wiping her lips, “I’m planning to go after the spring party so early April, maybe? Or I can extend to May so I can accompany you until your vacation ends.”

Wendy smiles, “That would be nice. What will you do with The Red?”

The girl shrugs, “Keep it as a guesthouse? Maybe I can trust Sook-unnie and Jinkyung-unnie to watch over it, split the profits with them and stuff.”

“I see. How about your paintings?”

“I’ll sell them all, I think? Maybe save the religious ones for the chapel. You can keep some too, if you want.”

Wendy purses her lips. She would never say it aloud because Seulgi would definitely scold her for it but she honestly thinks that her friend’s artistic talents would be a big waste if she ever did stop painting. The nonchalant way she’s discussing the future of her paintings is a façade too, no doubt. Seulgi treasures her works. After all, every painting carries a part of her and mirrors her identity.

“If you sell them then I’ll buy it all and keep it for you.”

Seulgi smiles gratefully, “You sound every bit like the rich- friend that you are.”

“Hey, nuns don’t use profanities.” Wendy points out.

Seulgi shrugs, “I’m not one yet.”

Wendy tuts, shaking her head, “What a cunning bear you are,”

Seulgi laughs and stands, finishing her coffee, “Well, this cunning bear needs to go and work on making things perfect for her God.” she walks to the front door. Wendy follows to see her off.

“Are you going to stop by the monastery today?” the taller woman asks, taking her jacket from the rack and putting it on.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m going off to Daegu later to meet a friend. She’s around the area.”

“Oh, okay then. Take care,”

“You too.”

Kim Yerim, the youngest daughter of Kim Motor Group, scrolls through her phone as she sits in a coffee shop along the streets of Daegu, waiting for her friend and unnie, Wendy Son, to arrive. Her cousin, Blanc and Eclare’s creative director Jessica Jung, had invited her to watch an opera show with her, tempting her with expensive VVIP tickets and promises of hot opera actors. She caved in, obviously, and ended up watching half of the thing alone because the older girl suddenly got a call in the middle and had to leave before the show was even over.

Bored and alone, Yerim remembered that Wendy had been staying at a nearby town and decided to give her a call. She knew the older girl would never say no and she wasn’t disappointed. Wendy is taking too long though but Yerim doesn’t mind. She can use the time to catch up on social media.

When she likes the nth photo of the day, Wendy finally arrives. The embarrassing woman really went and called her name as soon as she entered the coffee shop, garnering unwanted attention.

“Kim Yerim!”

It doesn’t help that the coffee shop is filled with such a peaceful, quiet atmosphere. Wendy’s voice and Yerim’s name echoed in the silence and the people looks up from their business to see what the sudden disruptive commotion is all about. Second-hand embarrassment creeps up to her ears in the color of humiliated red.

Yerim wants to hide under the table. She gives the woman one look before going back to her phone. It’s better if she pretends she doesn’t know her.

But, of course, Wendy approaches and sits on the vacant seat across hers, grinning as though she has done nothing near humiliating.

“Tell me,” Yerim puts down her phone and seriously looks at the older woman, “Did you really need to announce my name to the whole world like that?”

Wendy looks around, “What a small world you have.”

Yerim glares at her, “Shut up. That’s not what I mean.”

Wendy grins, “I know. I’m sorry. I got too excited to meet my precious baby demon,” she says and proceeds in making cringe-worthy cooing noises.

Yerim grimaces and swats her puckered face away, “Stop that and go order yourself a drink or something, will you?”  

Wendy laughs, “Oh, come on. It’s not every day that I get to tease you and not the other way around.” she finally stands and goes to the counter, returning with a frapuccino, frowning at a napkin. “Okay, so the guy at the cashier just handed this to me.” she shows Yerim what she’s been scowling at; a string of suspicious looking numbers. “Am I supposed to give this a call?”

Yerim looks at her confused unnie, mentally rolling her eyes. It is clear to everyone who has eyes and can see through glasses and contacts that Wendy Son is one hell of a good-looking woman. Yerim knows and acknowledges that fact. It is something everyone is aware of except for Wendy herself and Yerim finds her unnie’s cluelessness extremely annoying.

“You’re supposed to throw it away.” Yerim corrects her uninterestedly, “You can’t use a dirtied napkin.”

Wendy decides to put it aside. “So. How was the opera?”

Yerim shrugs, “It was okay, I guess except that there was no one remotely hot. Sica-unnie lied to me again, surprise, surprise,” she added sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

“Hey, operas are fun.”

“Yeah. I had fun falling asleep.”

Wendy frowns and opens to give the young girl a lecture only to stop herself, accepting that reprimanding Kim Yerim would be as fruitful as talking to a wall. So instead, she lets it go with a sigh and changes the topic.

“How’s your sister doing?”

“Bumming around, as usual.” Yerim fiddles with the straw of her drink, “Dad’s already got an entire luxury car brand named after her but she won’t have any of it. You know how Taeyeon-unnie is.”

“I think I heard about that from Uncle Kim. Sereni-TY, was it?”

“Uh-huh. She likes the name but not the responsibility. I swear she’s too old to still be on rebellion stage.”

“She’ll come around.” Wendy says. “How about your cousins?”

“Same old, same old.” Yerim replies, “Sica-unnie’s still busy with her fashion line, Soojung-unnie’s got dramas and commercials to film left and right, while Jaehyun-oppa’s already graduating college soon.”

Wendy hums. Not much has changed since she left Seoul. She sips her drink before firing another question. “And you? How are you taking the university life?”

Yerim gives another one of her nonchalant shrugs, “It’s going alright so far. My roommate isn’t as bad as I feared she’d be and I actually manage to drag myself to class.”

“You better not be skipping classes.” Wendy takes out her straw to point at her, “I know it’s too early to ask but do you have plans after graduating?”

Yerim shrugs again for the umpteenth time, “Dad wants me to operate a subsidiary company under the Kim Motors Group. I already have a name in mind. Aurora Motors. Doesn’t it have a nice ring to it?”

“Yes but you may become a big name in the car industry and I still won’t trust you with my car,” Wendy says, having flashbacks of the last time they went playing bump cars.

Yerim smirks, “You’re just an old-fashioned, uptight ahjumma.” she sticks a tongue out when Wendy shoots her a glare. “Anyway! We aren’t here to talk about business, are we? Tell me how things are in Pyeonghae too.”

Wendy smiles at the mention of her hometown, “Oh, it’s lovely. You should stop by sometime. I’m sure you’ll love it there. The neighbourhood I stay in is wonderful too. The place is a sight at this time of the year what with the flowers and cherry blossoms blooming. Actually, they’re holding a spring party at the end of the month. Do you want to come? I’ll show you around.” she enthusiastically offered.

Yerim considers this and eventually nods, “Okay, I can make time for that.” she agrees.

Wendy’s eyes lights up, “Great! You’ll love the villagers! Though I’m not quite sure if they’ll love you—”

“Hey, I can be quite charming if I want to.” Yerim retorts, “By the end of the day, I bet they won’t be letting me out of their town.”

Wendy has no rebut to that as Yerim does have attractive qualities which explains her long list of close relationships with age ranging from youngsters to middle-aged.

“Hey, unnie. I almost forgot,” thankfully, Yerim changes the topic and Wendy doesn’t need to reply to the previous statement. The young girl is rummaging through her bag and briefly takes out a pen and a notebook, tearing a page from it and returning the rest inside. “I learned something fun in Psychology 101 and I think it’s interesting. It relieves your bottled up grudges inside. Wanna give it a try?”

Wendy raises a brow, “Really? Okay then.” she easily agrees as it is rare that Kim Yerim actually does learn something, “How does it go?”

The girl scribbles on the paper, “It’s quite easy. You just need to list down the names of people you’re holding a grudge against. People who had wronged you. People you want gone from this world. Just people you dislike, really.”

Wendy frowns, “I can’t think of anyone though.”

Yerim gives her a look that suggested she finds what she just said dumb, “What a load of bull. What are you, an angel? Come on. I know you’ve got to have at least one person you hate in there,” she points at her chest. “Or if your saint of a soul can’t really conjure a name then think of someone that would make the world a better place to live in if they’re gone.”

Wendy thinks for a while, the grumpy cashier at Cosmic Latte coming into mind. “Well, there’s that guy working at the local coffee shop back in Pyeonghae. He’s just too grouchy that he makes a person’s day worse instead of making it brighter. Terrible customer service.”

Yerim hands her the paper and pen, “Well, write his name down here on number one.”

Wendy briefly looks at the paper and raises a brow at what the girl had written on the very top, “’Wendy’s Death Note’? Seriously?”

“What? It’s a cool name!”

“It’s not like I want them to die.”

Yerim rolls her eyes, exasperated, “They’re not actually going to die. You’re just going to jot down names of people you have hard feelings for so you can let go of your resentment.”

Wendy contemplates for a while before writing ‘Grumpy Cashier Guy at Cosmic Latte’ because it occurred to her that she never really knew his name. “You know, I’m starting to think this kind of thing only works for demons like you.”

“Trust me. It works for soft-hearted, self-proclaimed angels like you too.”

“I never proclaimed myself as an angel.”

“Well, you sure were sounding like you were.” Yeri retorted. “Anyone else you want to write?”

This time, a person easily comes to mind. “There’s this sheriff in town that everyone hates because he’s incompetent and a huge show-off.” she tells Yerim as she writes ‘Sheriff Kim Won Hae’ on the paper, “Pyeonghae would be much better without him. The place needs new law enforcers. Oh! There’s his son, too! The kid’s been running around, turning things upside down. He vandalizes cars and trashes clinics searching for strong drugs and no one can do anything about it because his dad’s the police.” she proceeds to write ‘Kim Han Bin’ right below his father’s name.

“Sounds like that little town isn’t as nice as you make it seem like.”

“It is nice. But it would be nicer and more peaceful without these troublemakers.”

“Sure.” Yeri drawls. “Anyone else you’d like to add?”

“Hmm…there is someone who’s been bothering me…”

Yeri’s brows rise up. It’s not every day that Mother Wen-resa admits she’s disturbed by someone.

“There’s this…upstart guy who just moved into town almost at the same time as I did. He’s from a land development company and he wants to bulldoze the woods and turn it into housing.” Wendy frowns at the thought, “I don’t see why. There are hardly any tourists in town and no one really needs the houses. And I really like the trees.”

“Well, why don’t you tell him what you think, Miss Master’s Degree in Business Holder?”

Wendy glares at her for bringing that up, “I did tell him that there won’t be much profit if they continue with their plans but he got so mad at me he started spreading news around that we’re dating and apparently, I’m marrying him in April.”

Yerim laughs, “I doubt he’s mad but that escalated quickly.”

“His mind amazes me.” Wendy comments as she writes ‘Choi Taejoon’ for number five.

“Is that it or do you have anyone else to add?”

“Maybe I should write Kim Yerim down.” Wendy jokes.

“Hey, I’m a blessing.”

Wendy laughs, “Yeah. Of course you are.” she tries to think for more people to write but cannot come up with anyone anymore. “This is it, I guess. What do we do next? Offer it up to your secret altar so the devil can get rid of them?”

Yerim scoffs, “Your imagination really does run wild.” she says. “There’s only one step left; take that paper home and burn it real seriously. Like, with self-reflection and stuff. Think that along with burning it is your unpleasant feelings. Let go of your grudge and live a new life or something like that. It’s real relaxing right after, I’m telling you.”

“You’re just one creepy sadistic kid.”

“I am not!”

Wendy laughs at her friend’s expression before standing, pocketing the piece of paper containing her little list. “Come on. Let’s go shopping.”

“In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

Finishing his prayers, Father Kang Minhyuk stands from the kneeler and sits on the church pew instead, staring at the crucifix as he listed every blessing in his life that he’s thankful for.

He has been a priest for over three years now and he’s thankful for the Lord to have guided him towards this path of righteousness. Indeed, God has not led him astray and has always been there should he need guidance. For that, he is deeply thankful.

Though they’re not related by blood, Minhyuk still counts Seungwan as a real little sister. He’s grateful that the girl had found a family who took her in and despite the overflowing blessings she had received, she remains humble and down to earth.

His biological sister, Seulgi, is also someone he’s very much proud of. The girl had always wanted to enter nunhood and has been very enthusiastic about it. Seulgi told him she plans on going to seminary after the spring party. The thought of serving the Lord together with his sister thrilled him and he thanks God for guiding not only him but also Seulgi straight into His arms.

“Father Kang?”

Minhyuk’s contemplations are interrupted and he turns to the nun with a smile. “Yes, Sister Lee?”

“I’m sorry to interrupt you but Monsignor’s down with a cold and no one’s free to hear the confessions. If it’s not a bother then it would be nice if you could go inside the confessional as a substitute.”

Minhyuk got to his feet at once, “Oh, it’s never a bother. I’ll just go and change my robes.” he bowed and exits the chapel to get to the dormitories. He passes by the refectory and sees his sister along with other volunteers carry a box to the quadrangle where the spring party will be held.

The first one who notices him isn’t Seulgi, however, but one of the female volunteers.

“Look! It’s Father Kang!”

Now, Seulgi’s well aware of her brother’s good looks. Her eyesight’s bad but she’s seen him frequent enough. He’s got thick, lustrous black hair, a cute face, and a hot body—or so everyone around her says. Today, he’s wearing a crisp white band collared button shirt with sleeves rolled up to his forearm, emphasizing his arm muscles. He looks good, as usual but Seulgi’s got to roll her eyes at the girls swooning when he shoots them his signature boyish smile, monolidded eyes crinkling to crescents similar to her own. She knew they’re only here to get a glimpse of the famous good-looking priest.

“Hello.” Seulgi wanted to tell him not to get closer but he’s already approaching, hands annoyingly tucked into his pockets, “You girls sure are working hard.”

They mutter something incoherent and elbows each other with stupid grins on their faces.

Seulgi decides to step up, deciding she doesn’t want to get embarrassed any longer.

“Oppa, can you help me carry these to the courtyard?”

Minhyuk immediately takes his hands out of his pockets, “Sure thing, baby bear.”

Seulgi frowns and hits his arm when he takes the box from her hands, “Stop calling me that.”

The guy laughs and waves at the volunteers before walking with Seulgi. “How is Seungwan doing? I haven’t heard from her in the past few days, though the people sure do love gossiping about her.”

Seulgi shrugs, “A pretty girl’s come to town. What’s there not to gossip about?”

“That’s not what I mean,” he replied, “Newcomer Choi Taejoon’s been spreading nonsense, apparently. He’s telling everyone they’re in a relationship and that he’s planning to marry her. Can you believe the nerve?” he shakes his head. “Our Seungwan, marrying that guy. What a load of nonsense.”

“Oh, yes. I heard about that one, alright.” Seulgi chuckles, “You don’t like him, do you?”

Minhyuk shakes his head, “He’s a decent man but I’m still against his plans of tearing the forest down.” he frowns, “People really does everything for money, don’t they?”

They arrive at the courtyard and Seulgi sighs, “Yes, they do. It’s sad. You can put the box on that table over there.”

Minhyuk does as he’s told, dusting his hands and placing them on his waist afterwards, looking around the area.  A small, wooden platform is situated near the south refectory and about a dozen of picnic tables surrounded it. On the sides were the barbecue grill and a long table where the food will be placed. All that’s left are the decorations, which are in the box Seulgi made him carry for her.

“Are you guys decorating today?”

Seulgi nods, “Yeah, that’s pretty much all that’s left. After that, the guys would be putting up the sound system.” she says. “You’re not helping out today?”

“No. Monsignor got sick and no one’s available to hear confessions.” Minhyuk told her, “I was on my way to change into my cassock when I bumped into you.”

“You should get going then.” Seulgi pushes her brother to the refectory, “I’ll see you around, oppa.”

Minhyuk waves at his little sister before jogging to the dormitory. He changed into his clerical robes and rushed out, briskly walking to the chapel, worrying that someone might want to confess their sins but there’s no one in the confessional. Upon arriving at the oratory, he hurried inside the wooden box and settled himself on the chair.

However, his worries are all for nothing as long, long hours passed and yet no one has visited the confessional to ask for forgiveness. It is, however, getting increasingly uncomfortable in the cramped space and he wonders how Monsignor and the other priests could endure being in this cursed box for so long.

Offer up your discomfort to God for the poor souls in purgatory, he tells himself, taking a deep breath to relax.

Sweat started to trickle down the sides of his face, beading above his brow and he’s sure he no longer smells like the Michael Kors perfume he sprayed on earlier. The thick, black, dusty curtain that covered the narrow opening from the ceiling of the box to the floor blocked out both the air and sunlight, making the place ironically hotter than hell.

He uncomfortably tugs on the soaked collar of his cassock sticking to his neck, uselessly fanning himself with his hand, wondering when he’d be allowed to come out and call it a day. Not that he’s complaining. Of course not. But he’s feeling hot and sticky all over that it’s getting hard not to.

He longingly daydreamed about a cold shower. Minhyuk checks his watch and sees that he still has about thirty minutes left. He is about to go out to grab a glass of cold water and get a whiff of fresh air just for a bit but just as he reaches for the curtain, he hears the swoosh of air the leather kneeler expelled when weight is placed upon it. The sound is followed by a quiet cough from the confessor’s cell next to him.

Minhyuk immediately sat properly, bowed his head in prayer, and slid the wooden panel up. He makes the sign of the cross, though it’s difficult to get reverent in the humid heat. “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

He patiently waited for the penitent to gather their thoughts or courage before they confessed their wrongdoings. The strong scent of vanilla passes through the grille that separates them, making him lightheaded. He feels a migraine coming up. It is a nice scent but the penitent had gone overboard and sprayed on a little bit too much, mixing with the dust and mildew of the old box, though something about it does feel oddly familiar…

“Father? Are you in there?”

Minhyuk takes a deep breath through his mouth, “I’m here.” he replies in a hushed tone, “When you’re ready to confess your sins, you may begin.”

“This is…difficult for me. See, I haven’t done this before, father,”

There’s an odd, singsong quality to the voice and a mocking undertone that makes Minhyuk frown, his instincts already warning him to be on guard. He doesn’t know whether the stranger is simply nervous for confessing for the first time or if he is being purposely irreverent.

“What I am going to confess will most probably—no, it will surely shock you, Father. Promise me you won’t be angry?”

The man’s voice still bothers him but Minhyuk pushes the weird feeling down. “I won’t be angry,” he promised, “And I won’t be shocked either.”

“Ah, yes. You must’ve heard it all before. Nothing can surprise you anymore, is that it, father? Hate the sin, not the sinner isn’t that right?” the stranger isn’t even trying to hide his mocking tone anymore. Minhyuk takes another deep breath.

Longsuffering… Longsuffering…

“Would you like to begin?”

“Yes.”

Minhyuk adjusts the purple stole around his neck, “May God, who has enlightened every heart, help you to know your sins and trust in his mercy,”

“Amen.” the stranger replied in a hushed tone. “Bless me, father, for I will sin.”

Minhyuk frowns, confused. “Pardon?”

“Bless me, father, for I will sin.”

“You want to confess a sin you’re going to commit?” Minhyuk asks, growing more and more confused by the second.

“Yes, father. I do.” he paused. “Are you getting angry?”

“No, I’m not. But I’m getting confused.” Minhyuk tells him, “You can’t be given absolution for sins you’re contemplating. Forgiveness is for those who have realized their mistakes and are truly contrite. They’re willing to make restitution for their sins.”

“Ah, but father, you don’t know what the sins are yet. How can you deny me absolution?”

“Naming the sin doesn’t change anything.”

“Oh, but it does.” a chuckle that sounds like a blade striking a whetstone came through the grille, making Minhyuk’s hair stand on end. “How can you stop me if you don’t know what I’m going to do?”

Minhyuk is definitely getting a headache. “A priest cannot acknowledge the sin or the sinner outside of confessional. The seal of silence is sacred. How exactly can I stop you?”

“I don’t know. It’s your problem, not mine isn’t it, father?” the careless shrug in his voice is apparent, “Prayer, perhaps. If you pray hard enough, then maybe you can stop me. It’s up to you, really. Are you still not going to give me absolution?”

“I will not.”

“Okay then.” his sigh is long and drawn out, “I’m giving you permission to tell anyone you want to tell. You need to stop me, father.”

Minhyuk clenched his jaw and willed himself to stay patient, ignoring the churning in his stomach caused by anxiety. Something about this man isn’t right.

“It doesn’t matter if you give me permission to tell or not. This conversation will remain confidential. The seal of silence must be maintained to protect the integrity of the confessional.”

“No matter what I confess?”

“No matter what.”

A moment of silence before the stranger begins to chuckle again. “Hmm…what an uptight priest.  Alright then, father. I’m going to tell you the sins I am going to commit.”

“I am all ears. But giving you absolution is still not an option.”

“I wonder if you’ll still be such a stickler for rules after you hear what I’m going to say,” he says, “The craving has come back.”

“Craving?”

“Yes. You see, father, I’ve developed a little obsession. It’s been…six years since the first time I killed and the latest had been nine months ago. Ah, she was such a pretty little thing…much prettier than the others.”

Panic hit him like a punch. Minhyuk raised a hand up to his mouth and tries hard not to gasp loudly in surprise at the revelation. This has got to be a sick joke of some sort. He’d like to believe that but listening to the voice, he cannot sense a hint of humor. Dear God, a murderer. He’s in the same box as a murderer.

And ‘the others’? How many others? His heart beat frantically in his chest and his mind raced, frantically thinking of what to do.

“How many crimes have you—”

“Sins, father.” the madman sternly corrects him, “I committed sins. Why? Are you going to tell on me now?”

Minhyuk takes a deep breath. Okay. Calm down. Oh, God, help me.

“No, I still won’t.”

Shrill, maniacal laughter floated through the grille and Minhyuk shivered at the emptiness of it.

“How entertaining. Well, ask me, father. Ask me who’s going to be the next to satisfy my cravings.” he says, his voice a harsh whisper, “This one’s even more special. She’s perfect. I drown myself in her fragrance and I love to watch her sleep. She’s so beautiful. So, so, angelic. Ask me and after I’ve given you her name, you can forgive me. After that, maybe you can teach me how to play drums,”

Minhyuk’s head snaps up in surprise, “How did you know—”

“Oh, Minhyuk, I do my homework well, you know?”

Minhyuk clenches his fists, growing more and more nervous the longer the conversation went on. “Who are you?”

“Why, I am a seducer. And I would love a challenge. Make this one difficult for me, will you? The police will come here soon to talk to you, and then you’ll be able to tell anyone you want.” he mocked, “I know who you’ll call first. Your pretty, hotshot detective friend. You’ll call Joohyun, won’t you?”

“How do you know—”

“Ask me.”

“Excuse me?”

“Her name.” the madman whispered. “Ask me who my next target is.”

Minhyuk closes his eyes, taking a deep breath to brace himself, “Yeah. Okay. Who is she?”

“Wendy.” the serpent whispered, “Her name is Wendy.”

A/N:

Some of the characters are purely fictional and are not connected to any celebrity whatsoever

Thank you for reading! Hope you liked the first chapter hahaha <3