We were sitting down in a café called the Dream café, a café that Mark so often visited back in his younger days. 127 Mall was still very much crowded and I couldn’t remember the last time I have stepped foot into the N-CITY district.

I sat down beside Mark, Matthew across from us while they caught up. We learned that Mark was leaving soon, that he would be going to Canada in a week or so and he would be there for a year.

“I’ll visit you, Mark. Don’t worry!” Matthew told him, Mark telling him that he didn’t have to. That flight tickets were expensive. “Oh, it’s fine.”

I knew that Matthew was saying it because he would be able to portal back and forth, Mark humming to himself. He then told Matthew that they have yet to finish the song that he started. Drowned in another conversation, I got a message from Chanyeol asking me where I was at and when I would reach home.

Dream Café, I told him. He read the message but did not reply and I frowned. Maybe he got over the shock that Matthew was back and decided it was time to talk to him.

Twenty minutes had passed and we had ordered fries, Mark telling us about Muffin (Once again, he couldn’t shut up about her.) and Haechan. Haechan was always high, Mark said. He has trouble sleeping and weed helps.

We didn’t notice people beginning to march towards our table when something was slammed against the surface, all of us looking up to see Oh Sehun.

Behind him was Kim Kai.

Behind him was Kim Minseok.

And last but not least, Park Chanyeol looking at us with hopeful eyes before he pointed at Matthew.

“Matthew Hyung.”

The power a single name could hold (other than exorcisms); Sehun and Kai, our duo, had thrown themselves at Matthew. I saw a flash of long hair, Harin running into the café in her office clothes and work bag when she spotted us.

“Oppa!”

“Hyung!” Sehun and Kai gasped, Matthew being pulled in two different directions while they clutched his arms. He was still buffering and Mark looked around, confused.

“Uh…” Mark began, standing up when I grabbed his hand so he wouldn’t leave. “Oh, I just need to go to the bathroom. It’s a personal problem.”

I slowly released him, half the members of the former Bracelet Club slid into the seats, trying to get Matthew’s attention. All of them began to talk at the same time, Sehun yelling at him for not telling us. Kai was yelling at me. Chanyeol was narrating everything to Minseok and Harin had leaned forward to tell Matthew all about how her marriage life with Sehun was like.

“Okay, everyone… stop,” Matthew said, raising both hands with difficulty, his arms locked down by Kai and Sehun who were acting exactly like how I was when I got over the shock. Minseok had taken out his notebook and his pen hovered over the page.

Silence.

“I’m back.” He beamed, Sehun and Kai letting out a barbaric cheer. “And why are you drinking so much? Do you want to be like Haechan? That kid is under consideration considering he’s a good person but does very bad things.”

Sehun flushed red, Harin snapping her fingers in front of her husband.

“And you, Kai. I am very proud of you but I know what you did.”

“Oh no,” Kai whispered.

“Why? What did Kai do?” Chanyeol asked, Matthew glaring at Kai. “#KimKaiYouDie?”

“He accidentally threw the evidence bag out,” Matthew said and Kai made a face, telling us it was years ago. “Minseok, good as always.”

“Of course.” Minseok was quiet and Matthew stopped.

“And aren’t you glad that Su—”

A tissue flew straight at Matthew, Chanyeol coughing at the almost-mention of Suho when Matthew stopped, biting down on his lower lip. He realized that Suho was not meant to be told to the rest and he masked it with a cough.

“And are you going to talk to me, now? Are you done throwing things at me?” Matthew asked Chanyeol, his ears turning pink.

“Sorry.” He gave him an awkward smile. “I just…. It’s been seven years, Hyung!”

“All the more!” Matthew exclaimed back, Chanyeol offering his hand from across the table. The moment Matthew’s hand gripped his, Chanyeol let out a victorious howl.

“He’s real!”

“ing hell. He’s a Grim Reaper, so cool,” Kai murmured, Sehun nodding and leaning against Matthew’s shoulder. I guessed Chanyeol had filled all of them up with information before they came. “.”

“This means you’re going to be around. Forever?” Sehun asked, Harin giving out a squeal before she snuck a look at me.

“Unnie, you must be so happy!” Harin said, squeezing my arm when there was a thud from the window. We looked to the side to see Baekhyun, his face streaming with tears. “Uh-oh, here comes our little Bambi.”

Baekhyun being on the other side of the window was hilarious, the male placing his palm against the surface when Matthew knocked back. Baekhyun sniffled when he rushed to the entrance, the pounding of his feet against the floor loud against our ears.

“HYUNG!” He squeaked, not even greeting us. He had grabbed Sehun at the back of his neck (much to Sehun’s protest) and took his place, gluing himself to the older male. “You don’t have to retell the story; I know all about it. But hyung! I did not reach my dream, having an agency! Hyung, it’s… It’s horrible! And the other day, I dreamt of you but it was all a dream and now I’m in between jobs!”

“I’m sorry, what? Come again?” I asked, Baekhyun waving a hand in the air. “Byun Baekhyun, why do I not know about this?”

Matthew looked at me, shaking his head ever so slightly as if he didn’t want me to mention anything about his job, Baekhyun burying his face against Matthew's shoulder. Matthew and I had a silent moment and I frowned at him, Matthew raising a hand as if to say that we’d talk about it later but I scrunched my face up.

“I feel like I’m witnessing a mime moment,” Kai murmured, watching both of us. “You both know we’re still here, right?”

I cleared my throat, Mark coming back before his eyes lit up.

“Everyone is here! Wow, a party. You know all my seniors.”

“It’s a small world, Mark,” Matthew replied, Mark looking concerned at Baekhyun and his current break down at the return of his hyung.

“I have to go get some ice cream for Muffin from my dad’s truck. She didn’t get to eat yogurt today.” Mark told us, grabbing his back. “Thanks for the milkshake, hyung. Also, do you have a phone now? My calls aren’t monitored anymore.

“Ah, yes.” Matthew then whipped out a phone from his pocket and we all gaped, Chanyeol blinking rapidly. “Number?”

As the brothers finally exchanged numbers, we were all left alone.

Silence took over the table when Matthew cleared his throat.

“So….” he began, “who wants to talk first?”

Just like that, all the members of The Bracelet Club (without Kyungsoo) then began to fight each other to get to tell Matthew all about what had happened in the seven years that he was gone. I had a feeling he already knew; he seemed not at all surprised when Baekhyun told him he once accidentally added nuts to an idol’s lunch even if the idol was allergic, or when Minseok told us that he almost got married but he blurted out the most absurd lie…

Matthew seemed like he knew it all, simply laughing and nodding while they told him all that he had missed.

I then realized that even if we didn’t see him the past seven years, Matthew Lee had never left.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chanyeol, Matthew, and I were going back to the apartment. It was late at night and we had moved to a bar, another round of drinks while Sehun just watched us enviously. We saw him sneak some alcohol to his wife and Harin being a lightweight and taking the bait, she was soon having the time of her life and had forced Sehun to down alcohol.

We knew what Sehun was doing, the male finally getting his dose of liquid poison.

As we stopped by the front, I saw a bald guy looking up and I realized it was Peniel. Before we knew it, Matthew had disappeared into a mist, leaving Chanyeol and I to head back up. We walked in on Suho, sitting on the couch, deep in thought.

“Hey,” Chanyeol greeted, already knowing it was going to be one of those days where he would tell us that his girlfriend wasn’t doing well. “Sup?”

But Suho simply shook his head and my heart broke for him. I brought out my laptop, deciding to do some work when Chanyeol sat beside Suho, the ghost giving out a sigh.

“Wow, why so defeated?”

“Same old, same old.”

“We met the boys today. And Harin,” I found myself saying, Suho’s shoulders dropping down.

“Yeah? How are all of them?”

“Good,” Chanyeol answered, reaching out to try to pat Suho on the shoulder but it went past him. “Matthew hyung almost slipped out that you were around but I threw something at him.”

“Oh,” Suho replied, blinking. “I guess I’ll talk to him when he comes.”

“I already did. Honest mistake. He didn’t know,” Chanyeol said and we all went silent; the only sounds were the tapping of me on my laptop. I saw Suho sneak a look at Chanyeol.

“Aren’t you going back to Singapore? America? I mean, what are you doing still here?”

“Are you going to visit me if I do?” Chanyeol asked back, a playful smile on his face. “Nah, staying in Korea for a while. No place like home. At this point, no place like Noona’s home.”

“Huh.” I voiced. “You have overstayed your welcome, Chanyeol.”

“Please.” Chanyeol quipped. “We all know you don’t say it, but you prefer us being around. And I think Baekhyun needs me.”

“Is that where you have been running around too?” I asked, knowing Chanyeol disappeared from time to time. “Where is he staying now?”

“Uh… In his apartment,” Chanyeol quickly said and I nodded, letting it go. I focused on my work, Suho giving out a sigh and their voices served as white noise for me.

A woosh sounded and two Grim Reapers appeared, Matthew with his cane (I still had no idea why he needed it but he once mentioned that everyone had their respective weapons; Hagrid had his umbrella, Hermione had his wand and he wouldn’t get his weapon as he was on probation so a cane would have to suffice.) and Peniel looking as stressed as ever.

“Hello, men in black.” Suho greeted and I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I met Peniel today when he dropped by to check where Matthew was but you guys weren’t here.”

We would have been with Mark at that time, Matthew clearing his throat awkwardly.

“Back from the Philippines?” I asked, hoping my memory didn’t serve me wrong and that was where they went to check out the possessions. “What are you frowning so much for?”

“It was weird,” Matthew began, sitting down. “It was super weird.”

“What was?”

“Look, we went to the Philippines and checked out the area. I know how possessions work, okay? But these people. They were chanting and praying.”

“Like a prayer circle,” Peniel added, standing by the door. “But they weren’t praying to God, they were praying to Judas. Do you know what’s strange? They were all possessed. Fifty, sixty of them. I mean, I know it was mass possession but still.” He paused, chewing on his lip, a hand reaching up to rub his bald head.

“If you find a possessed person, or people, doesn’t a handler have to exorcise them for you?” Chanyeol asked and Peniel nodded.

“That’s the thing—that’s the protocol. The steps. We had two handlers with us; the handler of the area, that is. When a person is possessed, we let the handler handle it. If the soul is too powerful, we step in as a Grim Reaper. But—” Peniel was cut off.

“This possession was different. All the original souls were gone.” Matthew butted in and I frowned, actually paying attention to what they were saying.

“Original souls?” I asked, Matthew nodding.

“I mean, when a person gets possessed, a spirit overtakes the body and merges itself with the original soul. The birth soul of the body, as we call it. The possessions of this particular group of people were more than a simple mass possession, the origin