Hours passed, but neither Daehyun nor Young Jae had left the apartment complex. Night has befallen the city and the only source of light came from the television screen. Had it not been for Daehyun’s change in breathing, it wouldn’t have become evident that he had fallen asleep without looking at him.

Young Jae examined Daehyun’s face, taking note of his peaceful expression. He couldn’t help but frown as he turned the tv off and got to his feet. He glanced around for a moment before he made his way towards a hallway to the left of the tv.

With only one door at the end of the short hallway, he made his way down the hall and phased through the door. A quick flick of the light switch revealed a bedroom that matched both living room and kitchen. Clothes lay scattered all over the floors and furniture, the furniture and walls appeared to be jaded, and there were cups of various shapes and sizes with questionable substances inside of them scattered all around the room.

His eyes scanned the room, a feeling of uneasiness coursing through him. As Young Jae was about to turn away, his eyes lit up with hope as he made his way over to the bed. He moved away the pile of clothes and grabbed both a pillow and a blanket that had been hidden underneath. He thoroughly examined both items before a smile crossed his face and he gave a nod of approval.

With the items in hand, he made his way out of the room and back into the living room. Once next to Daehyun, Young Jae placed the pillow down on the couch and laid Daehyun carefully down. When Daehyun didn’t awaken from the movement, Young Jae laid the blanket over him and smiled.

“Now, where’s that glass shard,” Young Jae whispered to himself.

As thoroughly as he could, he searched the immediate area for the object in question, determination clear on his face.

A wave of thoughts, all mostly questions, ran through Daehyun’s mind. However, one thought continued to linger as he sat there, trying hard not to think about the lingering presence that shouldn’t even be there to begin with.

“Do you really need to follow me everywhere?” Daehyun asked.

“To ensure your happiness, yes,” Young Jae replied.

Daehyun sighed as he shook his head. He lifted his gaze and immediately made eye contact with a male, possibly in their late teens, that seemed lost, almost scared. Despite looking around everywhere, trying to get the attention of every passerby, no one seemed to be paying any attention to him.

Instead of reacting in any sort of way, Daehyun walked on as if nothing was wrong. Young Jae frowned, his eyes glued to the poor man. He paused for a moment, but instead of doing anything, he continued to follow after Daehyun.

“Why didn’t you help that person find peace?” Young Jae asked.

“Why didn’t you? You’re an angel, right?” Daehyun retorted.

Young Jae wanted to reply, but he hesitated.

“No response? Then shut up,” Daehyun said.

Daehyun picked up his walking pace, but Young Jae matched it with ease. Young Jae frowned, his head turned back to see the spirit had gone already. His gaze lingered, but he felt his heart ache.

Was it truly his heart or was it just an imitation of emotion?

Madison Square Garden.

The leaves on the trees had begun to change color to match the season. A gentle breeze blew through the city, forcing the citizens of the city to feel colder than anticipated. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the citizens from coming out to enjoy themselves. Joggers ran about, families walked along the path or picnicked at various locations and couples of all shapes and sizes either strolled about or sat on benches talking about whatever their minds could produce.

Young Jae’s gaze shifted from one place to another, all sorts of happy auras filling his gaze. His awestruck eyes couldn’t focus on one person or group, happiness entering his own being and making him smile in turn. Was it true happiness though or was he simply emulating what everyone else was feeling? That smile slowly faded as he focused in on the back of Daehyun’s head.

“What’re we doing here?” Young Jae asked.

“I need to see someone,” Daehyun replied.

“About what?” Young Jae asked.

Daehyun ignored Young Jae’s question as they continued to walk passed the many faces inhabiting the area. He turned off of the path, climbed up a slight hill and came to a stop at one of the many trees around. He sat down and leaned against it, his hands reaching up and pulling the drawstrings of his hoodie.

Young Jae sat next to him, his eyes wandering from one place to another. He scanned the many faces, but not one of them seemed to pay any attention to them whatsoever.

“I thought you were meeting someone,” Young Jae said.

“I am,” Daehyun said.

No later than had he finished his response, a man emerged from behind the tree and sat down next to Daehyun without saying a word. The man’s hood was over his lowered head, covering his face from Young Jae’s view. However, based simply on the man’s shorts, Young Jae could assume that the man wasn’t all that cold.

“Euijin,” Daehyun said.

“Daehyun,” Euijin replied.

“You already know why I asked you to come, so tell me,” Daehyun said.

Euijin looked up and stared at Young Jae. At first, Young Jae turned around, confused. However, when it was apparent that no one was standing directly behind him, he turned his gaze back to Euijin, whom had started smiling.

“Hello,” Euijin said.

Young Jae pointed at himself and said, “Me?”

Euijin laughed as he said, “Who else would I be talking to?”

He stood up and stretched for a moment before he examined Young Jae from head to toe. He nodded every now and then, a simple hum of approval escaping from time to time. When he had made a full circle, he nodded to himself and folded his arms.

“You’ve got quite a ghostly figure attached to you, Daehyun. I’ve never seen such an aura from a ghost like him before,” Euijin said.

“Wha-What! I’m not attached to him and I’m not a ghost! I’m an angel trying to make people happy!” Young Jae exclaimed.

Euijin’s eyes widened as he looked closer.

“Angel! I’ve never seen one before. I always thought angels had wings,” Euijin said.

“Okay, okay, but how do I get rid of him?” Daehyun asked.

“What!” Young Jae exclaimed.

Euijin shook his head as he said, “I’m afraid you can’t really get rid of an angel. Demons, sure, but angels? Good luck with that.”

Daehyun sighed as he kept his gaze low. Young Jae frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he sat in front of Daehyun. He leaned forward, attempting to make eye contact with him, but it didn’t really seem to work since Daehyun kept avoiding his gaze.

“You’re stuck with me until you’ve become happy, you hear me?” Young Jae said.

“Happy, right,” Daehyun mumbled.

Young Jae stood up and turned away, his arms folded. Euijin’s gaze shifted between the two, but he simply smiled as he sat back down next to Daehyun.

“So, you wanna eat? Let’s go get some burgers,” Euijin said.

“Sure, why not,” Daehyun replied.

Night loomed over the busy city. While some had gone to sleep, most of the patrons of the city continued to move about their busy schedule. With the absence of the sun’s warmth, nighttime proved to be chillier than expected.

At one of the many intersections, with one of the many food trucks still in operation, Daehyun and Euijin pulled away with a burger in each hand. Young Jae followed close behind, his gaze wandering from person to person.

“I bet they don’t even use beef,” Euijin said.

“Probably mixed in some chicken,” Daehyun said.

“Think they used rabbit?” Euijin asked.

“Eh, it’s still a good, cheap burger,” Daehyun replied.

They came to a stop in front of a large office building. The two sat down on the nearest bench and immediately began eating their burgers. Few people passed by where they were and most noise was off in the distance.

“What if the burger was made from rat?” Euijin asked.

“Do you think I have money to afford anything else?” Daehyun replied.

“Good point,” Euijin said.

Silence befell the trio as Daehyun and Euijin ate. Young Jae moved off to the back as he examined the area. He nodded, content with the results, as he pulled his satchel in front of him.

He opened it up and immediately focused on the glass shards. Most shards glistened under the moonlight, which to the eye, all appeared to just be regular shards of glass. However, to Young Jae as his eyes shone a light blue, each shard shone a faint red aura, some being stronger than others.

With the bag closed and put away, he let out a small sigh and turned his gaze to the sky. The night sky, although void of stars due to the city lights, held its usual dark blue color. He couldn’t help but smile, a feeling of comfort wrapped around him.

That feeling, however, was cut short as movement caught his attention. His hands reached backwards and wrapped around his satchel, but when he focused on the source of the movement, his whole body relaxed once more. A pair of pigeons had simply flown out of a nearby tree.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, but that relief was short-lived, yet again, the second the pigeons came to a sudden stop, or rather, they simply froze in place. All around him, life seemed to have frozen, all save for the confused mediums still at the bench.

“What the hell?” Daehyun said.

“What’s going on?” Euijin asked.

The atmosphere darkened around them as a shroud of dread befell the area. A strong aura suddenly amassed off to the side and immediately, Young Jae rushed over to Daehyun and Euijin, his wings spread out as his whole being shone brightly. His wings encircled around the pair of mediums and had he been a second later, there was no telling what would’ve happened as a dark ball of energy collided with Young Jae’s wings.

“Impressive, for an angel,” a voice called out.

“Show yourself, demon!” Young Jae exclaimed.

Footsteps clicked against the pavement, or rather, it had sounded like it. Instead of getting closer, there was no clear direction from where the footsteps came. It clicked everywhere and nowhere, almost as if it was mocking the trio.

It finally came to a stop and as soon as it had, a portal void of any light appeared on the opposite side of the street. A male, clad in all black, appeared from the portal. He smirked and brushed his black wavy hair from his eyes.

“My name is Jaebum. Remember it, kiddos, for you’re going to be begging for my mercy soon,” Jaebum said.

Another ball of energy formed in his hands and without any warning, he shot it at the three once more. However, just as before, it dissipated as soon as it collided with Young Jae’s wings.

“What the hell do you want?” Daehyun asked.

“Why, I want your soul, of course. It would’ve been easy, but this angel decided to ruin my plains,” Jaebum said.

“My soul? Why mine?” Daehyun asked.

Jaebum sighed as he said, “A medium’s soul is precious. It’s been blessed by the lord and blablabla, yadda yadda yadda, all that bull. We just want the power infused with your soul,” Jaebum said.

“You can’t have it!” Young Jae exclaimed as a ball of light formed at the tips of his wings and shot at Jaebum.

Jaebum merely smirked once more as he stepped back into his portal and disappeared. The portal engulfed the ball of light and soon disappeared after Jaebum.

“I will have his soul. I’ve been waiting for six years for it, but I can wait a little longer,” Jaebum’s voice said as it faded.

Once the atmosphere lightened and time seemed to resume, Young Jae’s aura faded as he pulled his wings away. A sigh of relief escaped his lips. He looked down at Daehyun and Euijin, but confusion hit him as he watched the two eating their burgers without a care in the world.

“Wow, a real demon too. What’ve you got yourself into, Daehyun?” Euijin asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s annoying as hell,” Daehyun said.

Young Jae sighed and sat down on the available seat next to Euijin. He stared at the spot that Jaebun had disappeared from before he turned his gaze up to the sky.

I really can’t leave then, not after that.

“Hey, Young Jae,” Daehyun said.

Young Jae turned to Daehyun, realizing the burgers in Daehyun’s hands had been devoured already.

“What did he mean by six years? He’s been waiting for six years?” Daehyun asked.

Young Jae took a moment to think before he said, “It’s possible he’s been around you for six years. If that happens, then usually misfortune falls upon you and those around you, but only if he’s in the same room. Otherwise, the only other way would be,”

He stood up suddenly, an epiphany hitting him. He grinned, but immediately removed the smile from his face. With a deep breath, he turned back to the two.

“You haven’t seen him before, right?” Young Jae asked.

Daehyun nodded.

“Then that means there’s been a shard of glass attached to you for six years. As a medium, you’re immune to demons directly affecting your wellbeing, save for when they use their powers, but with a powerful enough glass shard, misery and misfortune can build up without your notice,” Young Jae said.

Daehyun looked downwards for a moment, thoughts running through his head. After a minute, he stood up, dusted himself off, and looked back up at Young Jae.

“So, the reason I’ve been miserable for the past six years, is because of this shard?” Daehyun asked.

Young Jae nodded.

“Son of a ing, god damn that,” Daehyun stopped himself as he took in a deep breath and said, “Okay, fine. How the hell do I get rid of the glass shard?”

“I have to find it, but since it’s been six years, it won’t show itself. I think that you can help it show itself by doing what you’re supposed to do,” Young Jae said.

Daehyun’s brows furrowed as he asked, “Which is?”

“Helping spirits move on,” Young Jae said.