The atmosphere was thicker than custard when Sungjae arrived. Even Sungjae’s usual bubbly nature was subdued when he saw Eunkwang’s and Minhyuk’s expressions when he arrived.

“I will give you a chance to explain yourself, Sungjae-ah,” said Eunkwang seriously.

“There’s nothing to explain, hyung. I… I… I just wanted to play a prank on Changsub-hyung,” mumbled Sungjae.

“We have always been tolerant of your prankster ways, Sungjae-ah. But this time it has gone too far,” chided Eunkwang. “You should know very well that our work is not to be tampered with.”

“Mianhe, hyung,” replied Sungjae, hanging his head in shame. “What can I do to make up for it?”

Another long silence hung over the group, as Eunkwang and Minhyuk looked at each other, communicating via their thoughts. After what felt like an eternity, Minhyuk spoke.

“The order of things cannot be disrupted, Sungjae-ah. It is a must that Woo Dohwan and Park Sooyoung must fall in love. However, since you have tampered with the arrow that was meant for them, we will craft a new one for them,” said Minhyuk.

“Gomawo, hyung,” replied Sungjae gratefully.

“I’m not finished,” barked Minhyuk sharply. “Since you were the one who tampered with the firing of the arrow, you will be the one to restore order. The moment that Woo Dohwan and Park Sooyoung shared that was meant for the firing of the arrow has now passed. You will go down to the mortal world and help set up the appropriate moment for firing of the arrow again.”

“How do I do that, hyung? Mortals can’t even see us,” asked Sungjae, though he had a sinking feeling what the answer would be.

“We will turn you into a mortal form that is more or less the same age as Woo Dohwan and Park Sooyoung,” replied Eunkwang. “You will lose all memories of your life as a Cupid. Instead, we will give you a false set of memories of everything that has led up to the age that your mortal body will be at when you enter the mortal world. We will also cast a spell so that everyone whom you encounter will also have their memories altered to have you blend in seamlessly into their world, based on the memories that you will be given.”

“You will then live out your mortal life until you set up the ideal moment to fire the arrow. When the time comes, we will bring the arrow to you,” said Minhyuk. “Once you have fired the arrow, they will fall in love and mark the end of your punishment. You will return to us as a Cupid.”

Sungjae remained silent for a while, letting everything his hyungs said sink in.

“Why do I need to set up the moment, Minhyuk-hyung? Don’t we usually just fire the arrow and let it pass through the two people?” asked Sungjae.

“It is not so simple in this case, Sungjae-ah. Park Sooyoung was struck by t