Red it’s all I see, a red so bright yet dark that it feels like maybe it could be black. When I open my eyes, I can’t believe what it is that I see. Beneath me, my lover lay covered in the very red that I saw earlier. In the middle of his chest was a dagger, one that my hands were holding.

 

My hands shake as I pull my hands towards my face, my lips open trying to form words, but I simply cannot find my voice. What happened? My eyes drop from my hands to his face, his eyes were closed, and his chest wasn’t moving to allow for air to flood into his lungs.

 

“Taeil?” I manage to finally find my voice calling out his name. But he’s unable to respond because he’s not breathing. “Taeil?” My red hands fall to his face. “Wake up!”

 

This couldn’t be happening. I must be dreaming, having a nightmare, or I died myself. I pull my hand back forming it into a fist to hit my chest with it. As soon as I feel pain darkness floods into my vision.

 

I fling up out of bed gasping for air. “Taeil?” I say through bated breath.

 

“Suahn?” Taeil’s voice echoes from beside me. My eyes fly over to his face, and I breathe out a sigh of relief. “Are you okay?”

 

I shake my head, “I had a nightmare.”

 

“What about?” His innocent eyes peer at me and I couldn’t help but see his closed ones from beneath me earlier instead.

 

“In it I-I killed you.” I murmur taking a deep breath. “But it was only a nightmare.”

 

I raise my hands to my face to wipe at the sweat that had formed on my forehead, but I’m met with that very red again. My body shakes at the sight, why were they still covered in his blood?

 

“A nightmare?” Taeil’s voice comes from further away now. He scoffs, “You did kill me, Suahn.” I glance around my room looking for him and finally find him in front of me. I’m no longer on my bed I’m standing in a solid black room with the only thing that I can see being him. Him with that same dagger in his chest.

 

I tremble falling to my knees. “I didn’t!”

 

“You did.” He confirms his head tilting to the side. “And I’ll make sure you never forget it too.” His hands wrap around my throat drawing all the air from my lungs as he does.

 

-

 

When I wake this time, my hands fly to my neck due to a lack of airflow. I lift my hands up into the air above my face, the only way I knew if I was really awake was to check my hands for blood. The blood was gone but the color of it was still burnt into my mind. The rusty smell of his blood was imprinted in my nostrils and his pale body was carved onto the back of my eyelids.

 

I slowly sit up reaching for my bedside table to grab the medication I had been prescribed whilst I visited a doctor on Earth. While it didn’t solely rid me of my post-traumatic stress, I liked to think that it helped a bit. Who am I kidding though? I wasn’t human nor was I ever, at least not one from Earth, it probably wasn’t doing anything. It was probably just the placebo effect.

 

I lay back on my bed after swallowing the pill willing away the feelings from the nightmare. The feelings that are still very much real because I had, in fact, killed Taeil, my lover, in the past. It was years ago now, but I couldn’t escape the memory of it.

 

My eyes focus on the red of my ceiling, it wasn’t too far off from the red of his blood. But I was doomed to be surrounded by various versions of the colors red, pink, and purple my whole life. It was my punishment.

 

“Taeyeon, please, just kill me.” I beg her as she unlocked the door to my cell.

 

“I’d be giving you what you want most by doing so. You know I am above killing people, Suahn. This is heaven, not hell.” She sighs shaking her head. “I still don’t quite understand why you did it. I know he was distancing himself and seeing other people behind your back but still?”

 

“I don’t know why I did it either.” I mumble. “I’ve told you fifty times, Taeyeon.”

 

She hums, “Well have you learned anything after what you’ve done?”

 

I nod slowly, “Yes. I learned that I hate love so much. I hate it and what it’s made me become, what it’s made me do.”

 

“The court and I have decided on your punishment.” She bends down, slipping a small knife from her dress pocket. My eyes watch as she brings it to my arm pressing the tip into it as she cuts a line through my skin. Her eyes raise to mine as she holds her left hand out palm facing up.

 

“We’ve decided to make you a cupid.” She blinks and a small red heart appears above her hand. Her fingers clasp around it quickly not giving me any time to react to her words as she shoves the heart into the wound she made on my arm.

 

“A cupid?” I repeat realizing just what that meant.

 

“Mm.” She confirms her left hand pulling back from my arm where the wound was now closed. Something surges through my body from where she placed the heart and I feel like I’m suffocating from the inside out. “For an unspecified amount of time, you are to be surrounded by the thing you hate most, love. You are to spend your life making people fall in love, watching them live their lives in that love. All while knowing you’ll never be able to experience that very love ever again.”

 

Today I was the head of a group of cupids now nicknamed The Love Doves. We were a group of six women and for over a year we’ve been the most successful of the groups of cupids. The Love Doves consisted of Kang Seulgi, my best friend and former Angel. She followed me here after my wings were clipped due to what I had done.

 

Jang Seungyeon, the second in command, a cupid who takes her job very seriously.

 

Heo Jiwon, the youngest member of the team and prides herself on being the second best at shooting arrows in the group.

 

Han Eunji, nicknamed Mia, the literal embodiment of a person obsessed with love and making people fall in love.

 

And lastly Moon Sua, Taeil’s younger sister. The second part of my punishment. Since both her parents were dead and I, unbeknownst to her, killed her brother, she was all alone. I was to raise her. I was waiting for the day one of the people of the higher courts slips and tells another of what really happened that night years ago.

 

To the public, Taeil died in an awful accident. No one knows what really happened because the high courts and Taeyeon, the Queen of Heaven hid it. They kept the order up here and rightfully so. Had people come to know what I had done chaos would’ve ensued. Since before that night no one in Heaven had ever murdered another.

 

Walking down the hall after I make the morning wake-up call; I stand before the five girls. “What are we going to do today ladies?”

 

“Make all of our rounds without error!” Mia pumps her fist into the air.

 

Jiwon scoffs smirking as she crosses her arms over her chest, “Most importantly we are going to kick Perfect Love’s asses per the usual!”

 

“That’s right.” I clap my hands together eyeing them all. “Perfect Love’s numbers were way too close to ours yesterday. So, no slacking off or we won’t be the number one group anymore. So that means no special benefits for any of you.”

 

Seungyeon nods before moving to stand next to me her stats clipboard in her hands. “Seola nearly double her couples yesterday somehow, so we all need to take on two extra couples to make sure we stay above them.”

 

“Yes ma’am!” Mia nods quickly.

 

A series of claps come from behind us causing me to turn my head. “It’s always good to see how enthusiastic my number one team is!” Hyuna, the Head of Cupids enters the room in a bright red dress that looks very uncomfortable. A girl is trailing behind her, hair blonde, and eyes innocent.

 

“Oh my gosh!” Mia squeals quietly. “It’s her! It’s the Head of Cupids!” I see her slapping Liah on the arm who is just sighing at her antics.

 

“Suahn, may I see you in your office?” Hyuna glances toward me with a tilt of her head.

 

“Of course.”

 

-

 

Hyuna sat at my desk her feet atop the many folders of couples to be shot with our love arrows today. The blonde girl stood next to me her head down like she was shy. Hyuna points at her with her foot. “Meet your new team member, Kim Choyeon.”

 

My eyes widen. “New team member?”

 

She hums clicking her tongue. “Did I stutter?”

 

I glance over at the girl and then back to her. “But why now? It’s the middle of the year. Don’t we only get recruits at the beginning of the year?”

 

She shrugs glancing down at her nails. “Don’t ask me. This was above me.”

 

I blink towards her, above her? How could an addition to one of her teams be above her?

 

Hyuna sighs, “Miss Choyeon, you may leave so I can have a word with your new team leader.”

 

Choyeon quickly exits without a spoken word and stress piles up at the base of my spine and slowly moves all the way to my neck. I rub at it trying to get my muscles to relax but they won’t.

 

Hyuna puts her feet back on the ground scooting closer to the desk to rest her elbows on it. “Listen I don’t know what you did to get on the court’s bad side, it's none of my business. But when I was told this, I was pissed, I appealed. I mean to me you’re my money maker. How could they spring a newbie on you guys right now? But I was met with silence.”

 

My hands join in front of my body taking in a deep breath. “I see.” So that’s what she meant by it was above her. There wasn’t anything I could do about it. My group’s score was going to lower because of her. Our number one spot is now jeopardized. “I guess I’ll have her begin training tomorrow then.”

 

She stands moving to place a hand on my shoulder. “If it’s you or hell anyone on your team that trains her, I know she’ll do well. Don’t worry too much.”

 

-

 

“What’s going on Suahn?” Seulgi asks, all the girls were staring at the new girl who again hasn’t spoken a word since she arrived.

 

“We have a new team member, introduce yourself.”

 

“A new team member?” Jiwon cuts in.

 

“You can’t be serious, Suahn?” Seungyeon’s eyes are wide as she glances down at her clipboard. “I didn’t prepare for this. We are ed.”

 

I glance at the blonde and gesture for her to get on with the introduction. She takes a deep breath a wide smile forming on her face. “Hello, I am so ecstatic to even be in the same room as you guys. You’re legends! My name is Kim Choyeon I was born in 2001!”

 

Jiwon rolls her eyes. “Oh, great, there goes my position as the youngest.”

 

I sigh running a hand through my hair. “We will treat her as one of us alright. It isn’t her fault she’s been thrown onto our team.” I couldn’t believe this. “Her training will begin tomorrow. As for now the rest of you get on with your assigned jobs for today.”

 

“Choyeon, follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”

 

After I’ve shown her to her room, I head to my office sitting down on my desk to stare at the files on my desk that contained the couples I’d have to match up today. I really didn’t feel like doing this today. I had a headache, and I was feeling overwhelmed. But I had to.

 

I stand opening the supply closet with the team’s arrows inside. My eyes roam the walls, dreading the sight of there only being 120 arrows left. I swallow glancing down at my arm, the one that Taeyeon had cut open that time.

 

The heart she put in me that day is what all cupids have placed in them. It’s sort of like how Angel’s had wings. They had hearts. However, most of them had pink hearts placed in them. Only special people had red ones. Those people were the ones who had to pull the red strings of fate from within them.

 

They were made from our blood. Every so often when we’d get low on them, I’d have to create more. The arrows were already premade, but they were just arrows until I tied the red strings of fate onto the end of two of them, therefore, connecting them. Then when we’d get to Earth, we’d shoot one arrow into one person and the corresponding arrow into their matched partner. The string connected the two making them lovers or soon-to-be lovers.

 

I’ve been a cupid now for a little over 5 years Earth time. Time in heaven wasn’t really a thing. Once we reach the age of maturity here, we don’t age. So, it’s really been longer than that. To this day I still cannot understand why anyone would want to be the cupid that has to pull that godforsaken red string from their body. It’s not a pleasant feeling whatsoever.

 

I dreaded that in a few days I’d have to restock.

 

-

 

“We managed to stay on top today but what of tomorrow?” Seungyeon sighs as she sips on her warm chamomile tea. Seulgi shrugs sheepishly scratching at the back of her head.

 

“I still think it’s so ty of them to drop her on us like this.” Seulgi groans letting her head rest against the back of the couch she was on. “I mean they’ve practically given rank one to Perfect Love’s.”

 

I wave my hand. “We just need to train her well. Either of you wants to take her on?”

 

Seungyeon shakes her head. “I don’t, no offense, I had to do the last one. And let me tell you training in Mia, that was straight up hell. God, it took me hours to get her to stop squealing every time she made a couple connect.” She shivers. “I can still faintly hear them in the back of my mind if I’m being honest.”

 

Seulgi lifts her head with a long sigh, “I guess that means I have to then.”

 

“Just focus on her aiming first, it’s okay if you can’t get to all the couples on the list. The others can make up for what you don’t get to.” I claim as I put the stamp of approval on all the couples from today moving them over to the matched pile. I bring my index finger and my thumb to my lips whistling.

 

The flapping of wings echoes in the room as a large dove moves to grab the approved folder and takes off with it. I watch as it exits the window before cracking my fingers.

 

“Should we even allow for her to use real arrows the first time?” Seulgi asks glancing at Seungyeon and then over to me. “Should we use a purple string?”

 

I glance at Seungyeon who shrugs, and I lower my eyes to my desk in thought. A purple string is an incomplete red string of fate. One that was pulled from a cupid’s arm during a full moon. The moon messes with our blood during that phase thus creating purple strings. They essentially do nothing when used to pierce two people’s hearts. It’s been tested and no one really knows why they don’t work and why they even exist in the first place. Though there is one side effect to getting struck with an arrow that has a connecting purple string.

 

The person struck follows the string until finding its other end. Typically, once they’ve found the other end the purple string erodes into nothing. Therefore, that is why they are not used to connect people. It only brings them together; it doesn’t make them fall in love.

 

“Yeah, take a couple of arrows with connecting purple strings.”

 

-

 

“Alright, ladies go out and make me proud today!” I cheer them on. Jiwon is glaring at the back of Choyeon’s head, but the blonde doesn’t seem to notice due to the excitement etched on her face. I send Jiwon a look and she rolls her eyes slapping a smile on her face.

 

I glance at Seulgi, “Return to wherever I am once you guys are done training, alright?”

 

She nods and all of them disappear to grab their supplies for the day.

 

I end my job early; I was after all the best shooter on the team. As much as I hate to say it, I had become good at this job after many years. If only it wasn’t a constant reminder of what I had done. I sit down on my desk jotting down that Seungyeon, Jiwon, and Liah had covered some of Seulgi’s couples today due to the training.

 

Seungyeon is the first to arrive back sitting her files down on my desk before moving to return her bow to the supply room. “Heard anything from Seulgi about how she’s doing?”

 

I shake my head, “I assume no news is good news.”

 

She hums, “I’m going to start on dinner, send Jiwon in once’s she back to help.”

 

I smile at how she knows Jiwon will be the next back. She’s right, she is. She smugly slaps her files down atop my desk, “Did I beat Seungyeon?”

 

I snort shaking my head, “Nope. She said to meet her in the kitchen to help with dinner.”

 

Her shoulders drop, “Dammit!”

 

She returns her bow and slouches off to the kitchen. Liah and Mia arrive within seconds of one another and are immediately joking around about the couples from today. With their arrival, I head with them to the dining hall where Seungyeon and Jiwon were finishing up dinner.

 

I sit down at one of the tables as Seulgi and Choyeon appear in the dining hall out of nowhere. “How did things go?” I ask.

 

Seulgi nods, “I think they went well.”

 

I smile, “I’m assuming the two couples with red strings were a success?”

 

Choyeon nods enthusiastically, “Yes!”

 

Suddenly a third person is appearing behind them, and my eyes are widening. I quickly stand, the chair scraping the ground loudly as I do. “Who is that?” Mia is gasping.

 

It’s a man. A human one. His hair was a dark black, his feline-like eyes wide with shock. He was tall and slim and holy how in the hell did he get here?

 

Seulgi gasps turning to see him as well, “Oh !”

 

“Seulgi, what is this?” I come forward and the man’s eyes land on me.

 

“Where am I?” His lips open and his voice was different from what I expected to come out. I shake my head ignoring him waiting for Seulgi’s explanation.

 

Choyeon’s eyes are so wide that I’m afraid they may pop out of their sockets. She’s suddenly dropping to her knees. “Forgive me, Miss Kang!” Her hands grasp mine.

 

“Seulgi?” I snap my fingers and she flinches.

 

She points her fingers to the man, “That’s the first man she shot a purple string into.”

 

“Where’s the other end of the string?” I ask her and suddenly Choyeon is pulling out her sole remaining arrow.

 

I groan grasping her shoulders, “Seulgi, you should’ve double-checked on this!”

 

Suddenly a tray is clambering to the floor behind us. “What is this?” Jiwon has dropped an entire tray of food at the sight of the man before us. “Oh my god, this is going to up our perfect record.” Jiwon stomps forward shoving at Choyeon’s shoulders. “How stupid do you have to be to keep that arrow on you?”

 

I raise a hand to my mouth, what did we do? I had no idea how to get him back. Before now I didn’t even know it was possible for humans to even come here. My eyes raise to him who was glancing around the dining hall seeming more and more confused by the minute. He really followed the purple string all the way here? I feel like it should’ve been cut the moment Seulgi and Choyeon crossed into our world. This makes no sense.

 

Seulgi tears the two girls apart in front of me and Jiwon shakes her head stomping off back into the kitchen. My hand raises from my mouth to my forehead, the pounding headache from yesterday returning tenfold.

 

I glance at Sua. “Gather the others. We need to have a meeting.”

 

-

 

“What do you mean we aren’t telling Hyuna?” Seungyeon raises her hands into the air. “How are we to get him back without her help? Hell, she may not even know the answer to it. It may have to go to someone above her.”

 

“If we want our record stain-free, we can’t tell her.” I exclaim running a hand through my hair.

 

“Kang Suahn!” Seungyeon gasps. “We cannot hide a human here. It’s beyond illegal on so many levels!”

 

“I vote we don’t tell her.” Jiwon hums out. Seungyeon’s head whips towards her.

 

“Me too.” Seulgi hums out. “It’s partially my fault he’s here, I don’t want the team’s record stained because of a mistake I helped make.”

 

Choyeon slowly raises her hand. “Um, if I get to vote-.”

 

“You don’t!” Jiwon scoffs.

 

“I was going to vote to not say anything too.”

 

Jiwon hums, “Never mind it counts.”

 

The attention moves to Liah and Mia. Sua’s eyes were fixed dead straight on the man who now sat at one of the dining chairs at the end of the table. He was listening intently to everything we said but hadn’t bothered interrupting us after we ignore him earlier.

 

Mia shrugs, “I’m sorry Seungyeon but being a cupid’s been my dream, and one day I hope to be in Suahn’s place so I cannot have any negatives on my resume.”

 

“Sua?” Seungyeon pleads with her. “Please tell me you see how crazy this is.”

 

There’s a look on Sua’s face that I’ve never seen before, it’s almost eerie how she seems to be sizing the man up. She blinks her attention never leaving him, “I vote not to tell Hyuna.”

 

I sigh out glancing at Seungyeon whose head is falling back as she looks up at the ceiling. “We are so screwed.” She shakes her head. Her eyes fall onto the others as she points across the way at the man. “You all better spend every waking moment you have to learn how to send him back or so help me I’ll go to Hyuna myself.”

 

“So, it's settled, we won’t tell her.” I hum out eyes flitting over to the man. “You.”

He nods, “Oh so now you all want to talk to me?”

 

I roll my eyes, “What’s your name?”

 

“What’s yours?”

 

“Kang Suahn.”

 

He leans back in his chair. “Mine is Kim Doyoung. Where am I?”

 

“Heaven.” I reply and his eyes widen.

 

“Am I dead? Did I die?” His hands fly to his chest as if checking to see if he still had a heartbeat.

 

“No, Mr. Kim you’re very much alive.” I explain standing up to move closer to him. “There’s been a mix-up on our part. We are cupids.” I gesture my hands out and he glances at the others before his eyes focus on me again. “Our youngest struck you with an arrow, one with a purple string of fate, that string brought you here by accident.”

 

“Have I gone mad?” He asks himself.

 

“No, Mr. Kim. But it doesn’t matter what you think.” I sit down beside him. “You are to not leave this residence. If you do, you may really die. You are to stay by my side every second you’re here. You got that.”

 

He swallows thickly, “Yes.”

 

I go to stand but his hand grasps ahold of mine and I jump at the feeling. He grabbed the wrist with my heart in it. I tug it out of his hold and glare at him. “What?”

 

“Please just call me Doyoung. Mr. Kim makes me feel old.”

 

-

 

It was weird having someone follow you pretty much the entire day. Especially when that person was a man you didn’t know. It felt oddly creepy at first but soon I grew used to it. Four days pass and with each passing day the team grew more and more worried. We spent our time off in our library searching for ways to send him back but to no avail.

 

Yesterday we started sending one of us into town to the main library to study as well hoping that by some miracle we’d find a way to get out of this mess. Doyoung is quiet. Most of the time he spends studying the books in the library too. Much of this information was new to him. I’m sure he was intrigued; I know I would be.

 

On the fifth night he’s here, and everyone has gone to bed for the night. He sits across from me in my office reading a book about us cupids. I get bored of my book and close it with a sigh. This one too was not telling me what I wanted to know.

 

“Nothing again?” He hums out seeming to notice I’ve stopped reading even though he hasn’t looked up from his book.

 

“Yep.” I hum out roughing my hair up as I crack my neck trying to relieve some tension from the long hours of work, I’ve been putting in.

 

His eyes peer up over his book to look at me. “It’s fascinating what you guys do.”

 

“I can see why a human would find that so.”

 

“No really. I have so many questions.” He seems so curious, and it reminded me of why humans are so naïve. They really have no idea what goes on to make their world spin and act the way it does.

 

“Does everyone fall in love because of you guys?” He raises an eyebrow. “Or are there people who fall in love naturally?”

 

“Naturally?” I question him. “Do you even know what love is?”

 

He shrugs, “Yeah, it’s the emotion that everyone wants to have.”

 

My jaw locks, “Everyone?” He shrugs. “We are the cause of all love on Earth.”

 

“But what of love at first sight?”

 

“Us.” I hum out.

 

“Long-distance love?”

 

“Us.”

 

“What about when love doesn’t work out? Divorce? Cheating?” He was really pulling out all the questions.

 

“Not us.” I hum. “All of that has to do with Hell’s interference. I’m sure they have a team dedicated to hate or something. Something that’s the complete opposite of what we do.”

 

He seems surprised. “What about love here? Does it exist?”

 

My heart sinks into my stomach at his question. “We are not immune to love, of course, it exists. However, we are very free beings up here. Some of us do not believe in one partner for life like the humans do.” I admit eyes lowering to my desk. “We were taught at a young age to not lean, to not expect anything from love. Or we could end up with a broken heart.”

 

My words seem to cause him to deflate a little. “The irony.”

 

“They are wise words.” I say firmly eyes darting up from my desk. “Words I didn’t listen to.”

 

“Oh?” His eyes were wide and innocent.

 

“Love is wicked and those we love are even more wicked.”

 

-

 

“Why is it that you haven’t been coming home at your usual time?” I confront Taeil once he’s finally home for the night. I wasn’t going to say anything, like every other night that’s passed but I finally had enough.

 

He sighs leaning against the counter and resting his hands on top of it. “Suahn, I think you know why.”

 

Hearing him confirm my thoughts only caused the sadness and anger to build deep in my chest. My heart which had been slowly cracking cracks open a small hole inside it.

 

“Since when?” My voice comes out shaky.

 

He runs a hand through his hair, “Two months ago.”

 

“What did I do wrong?” I come forward grasping his arms. “Please tell me.”

 

“Nothing you did nothing. I just…I’m starting to feel differently about you.” He doesn’t hold my arms back and I feel even more defeated at that notion.

 

“And so, you love her then?” My eyes glaze over.

 

“I love both of you, Suahn. It’s just my feelings for you are starting to fade.” His eyes are that of a liar. He doesn’t love me. Not anymore, not at all.

 

“To you, I’m an option. But to me, there’s only you, Taeil.” I grasp tightly onto his arms.

 

“I’m sorry.” He swallows.

 

I take a step back releasing his arms. “If you’re going to continue seeing her, I’d like it if you’d move out.”

 

He nods, “Alright. Give me till the end of the week.”

 

-

 

“Tell me, Doyoung, do you know what the most dangerous emotion is?” My hands join on top of my desk as he leans forward to sit the book he was reading down.

 

“Well, it can’t be the obvious, which would be hate, I’m assuming that then makes it love?” He crosses a leg over the other waiting for me to continue.

 

I was pleasantly surprised that he made that deduction. He was smart.

 

“And why do you think that is?” I raise an eyebrow.

 

He shrugs, “You tell me.”

 

I stand up moving to pace around the room, “Love makes people do silly things, stupid things. Some commit murder for those they love. Some will smother others with it. Some toy with those they don’t return love to. And some,” I pause eyes meeting his. “Even die for it.”

 

“Isn’t it romantic if your lover would die for you?” He interrupts eyes darting to the floor.

 

“What’s so romantic about wasting your precious life when in the end we all die anyway?”

 

His eyes dart back to me, “What if I told you that I loved you so much that I’d die for you?”

 

“Then die.” I shrug moving to sit down on the couch next to his chair, “Love the emotion that everyone wants to experience, it’s extremely flawed.”

 

My hand rests on the skin where Taeyeon placed the red heart. “You sometimes even begin doing things out of character because of it. It can make you into someone you don’t recognize.”

 

“Aren’t you being a hypocrite then?” D