Tom and Jerry 
Chapter 16

 

 

"I realized that I have additional fear and that is the fear of losing someone important to me."

Joy cursed under her breath. She smirked bitterly at the realization that fate was a certified gambler. Fate knew how to play and Joy wasn't happy about it. Fate had found it exciting when life didn't want to increase the risk.

"That stranger..." Joy grunted. That angel with black wings knew about the variable that can make her use her remaining time and that was using Irene's friends. 

The stranger knew that Joy couldn't resist Irene and that Joy would be using her power against her assigned human's friends in no time.

Joy messed her hair in frustration as she teleported inside the ICU. Irene was there talking to Wendy who was peacefully sleeping. Wendy's condition was finally stable although she needed to stay in the hospital until her wound closes.

She remembered how Irene became so angry at the suspect who caused Wendy's injury. She almost strangled the culprit if it wasn't because of Seulgi calming her. No one could blame Irene though. It was a normal reaction considering that the criminal confessed that he didn't know why he did that. He didn't have an ulterior motive. It was weird and infuriating.

Joy knew the reason, but she didn't tell Irene for she knew that the human will be freaked out. Besides, she was already walking on thin ice with her relationship with Irene.  

The door opened and Sejeong and Sakura greeted Irene. Their faces were the same as Irene's. They were worried.

"Miss Bae,"

"Irene-san, you can go. We're going to watch over her."

Irene looked at Wendy one more time before nodding. She stood up and patted the two girl's shoulders and left without saying anything. Joy silently followed her. And just like before, Irene went to the rooftop of the hospital.

Flashbacks suddenly came to Joy that night when it was Seulgi who was lying on the hospital bed. The only difference was that the accident before was just a warning and the event at the moment was actually the real deal— a part of the payment.

Irene stood still at the center of the rooftop while staring at the starless night sky. It was rather gloomy, suffocating, and not free. There was no wind yet there was an uncomfortable heat lingering between the human and the angel.

"Instead of trying to protect me," Irene broke the silence. "why don't you protect the people who needed security?" her voice was cold. Her sharp eyes were on the verge of tearing.

She looked at Joy who was already staring at her. 

"You told me before that you won't let anything happens to them..." she continued, "but you didn't do it. You broke your promise."

Joy looked at the ground and cursed herself as the flashback of her and Irene came to her making her feel more guilty.

Joy tried to hold Irene, to tell her that it won't happen again because she will do her job properly, but the latter took a step backward avoiding her touch. The angel heard the silent shattering of her heart. She took her hand back as she bit her lower lip. 

"Joy..." Irene called, "you know better than anyone else about me. You know how I struggled with this life I have. You know how I lost people I loved before. You know how much my life changed when new people entered my life. You know that I cannot bear to lose any more of my people again. From what I can see, you only care about me and that's the reason why you failed to realize that you're the one hurting me. I am not Joohyun. I am Irene yet you're still doing the same mistake as before."

No, you misunderstood. She wanted to say, but no voice came out of . She wanted to apologize for failing to protect Wendy. She wanted to tell Irene how sorry she was. She wanted to tell Irene what was happening. She wanted to tell her that she didn't need to worry about anything anymore, that she would make everything okay because she knew how to end it. However, the sudden confrontation scared away the courage Joy collected just recently. It was definitely the wrong timing.

"L-Leave me alone... p-please..."

Joy gulped an invisible lump in . She slowly nodded, walking backward a bit as she let herself vanish from Irene's sight. 

 

**ℜν**

 

Joy appeared in Wendy's room again. The two girls who were overwatching her were talking to each other on a couch. Joy turned her attention to Wendy.

The secretary's wound was a bit deep. It wasn't that serious, but it can cause death if she lost more blood. It was fortunate that Wendy was stabbed in public. She was immediately sent to the hospital and immediately treated.

Joy bit her lower lip. She was going to do it despite the counter-effect. She didn't have the choice anyway. She would just have to follow the stranger's game even if she was being played dirty. Besides, she was guilty enough and cannot bear to see Irene like that anymore.

She put a hand above Wendy's site of the wound as light only she can see illuminated the area. As the light disappeared, Joy fell to her knees panting. Wings emerged from her back. Despite the peace to Sejeong, Sakura, and Wendy, there was an invisible divine being suffering from the action she had made.

For humans, the room was rather silent. For divine beings like Joy, the room was filled with agony. 

The door opened and Joy made herself disappear before Irene could see her.

Few feathers flew in front of the human's sight. She caught a single one. It was a black feather and was bigger to be compared to a bird's.

"Miss Bae, are you okay? You're spacing out." Sejeong called shifting her attention to them.

"Did you see a