Everything was engulfed in darkness, not a single sliver of light could be seen. The smell of wet pavement due to the rain, the silence that looms at the abandoned street - with a single body, sitting in a hunched position on the bus stop.

Staring at it for a moment, she wets her lips before approaching and with a single whisper and ghost of her touch, it stood up - looking all surprised and confused, just like they always do.

"What happened?!" The old guy shouts, all rattled and confused.

Minjeong mentally rolls her eyes, "Follow me," she commanded, not answering the question of the old guy.

"Who are you?" The guy asked, "and why should I follow you?"

It was in moments like this that Minjeong felt frustrated, mortals are one curious kind - and yet so fickle, so easy to trick.

"Because you're dead." She answered lowly, glancing back at the guy who was a few steps behind her, then to the body still hunched over on the bus stop.

And just like that, like a routine, Minjeong heard how the mere mortal couldn't believe it - that he was only dreaming, a nightmare he said. Minjeong lets him talk until he's tired - after all, mortals would stop voluntarily when they feel that no one cares about what they are saying.

Then they stopped right in front of a pub - suddenly full of people, with music blasting, not a scene that she wanted to be in but she needed to.

"Why are we here?" The old guy asked.

"You tell me, Jaesok," Minjeong answered, noticing the guy's confusion with how she knew his name, "you led us here."

In a blink, they were inside the pub - just in front of the counter, with the bartender that Minjeong could not even care about.

She could see the way Jaesok clenches his jaw, his hands forming a fist as he slowly takes a deep breath, "Get me out of here!" He demanded.

Minjeong signals to the bartender, ignoring the guy beside her and soon enough they have alcohol in front of them - "But you led us here, why not indulge?"

She watched as the old guy turned to her, all anger as his nostrils flared, "Who the are you?"

Minjeong hums, and she takes a sip from her own drink, "Death." she simply answered.

"What?"

"Death," Minjeong repeated, "and I'm just doing my job, unfortunately."

Jaesok stared at her for a second, "You , stop talking nonsense!"

Minjeong laughs at the frustration of the guy beside her, "Quite curious that no one here bats an eye to you, despite being a regular?" she points out, "Do me the honor to order anything you want."

Just like that, Jaesok tried calling the bartender but it's like he was not even there. He tried waving his hand, grabbing a glass and smashing it down on the floor - but only Jaesok could see and hear everything. Minjeong watched it all and she did nothing, in a flash, she was right beside the old guy - touching his shoulder.

A low whisper to finish the job.

"What was the lie that you've regretted the most?"

Eyes all hazy and blank, Jaesok staring into nothing, "That I'll stop drinking, and start doing better in life for my family."

Minjeong hums and snaps her finger, and the job is done. One soul ticked off from her list, the last one for the day.

A single thought in her mind, how pathetic mortals can be.

/

Death always looms over mortals - waiting for its time, their time to end. It cannot be stopped nor be avoided, it will catch them sooner or later - the latter if they are lucky. But what these mortals do not know is that death comes in the form of a girl - an innocent looking one, someone that you could trust with one look.

Someone that you'd not expect to deliver your end.

Kim Minjeong.

For Minjeong, it was simply a job - something that was given to her not as a gift but more of a burden. Nonetheless, she did not care - it's much better than doing nothing.

After all, it was entertaining to see how mortals react to their death - how pathetic they could be.

And yet, she wonders how they could bare such honesty in the last moments in their life? Was it because no one will ever scrutinize them after? Or was it guilt consuming them, realizing that they do not have enough time to redeem themselves - hence, they settle to be honest.

It's freeing to say the least, to be honest and be laid to your eternal rest all at once. So, it's a wonder to Minjeong why mortals seem so afraid of it - of death, of her.

She's been doing this job for millenias, and nothing much has changed - she has watched how mortals evolved, how infrastructures changed in time, wars, new inventions - it all happened and Minjeong was there to witness it all.

And yet, mortals always see death as a punishment - when in fact, it was freedom for them.

"How insignificant," Minjeong mutters under her breath, before watching the businessman in front of her vanish into thin air. Straightening her position as she brushes some dirt on her coat, she walks away - not a single person looks at her.

No one knows that she's there.

The only mark that she leaves is the man laying down on his bed, not breathing - a heart attack.

Another one off the list, she thinks, looking at her watch before vanishing into thin air as she welcomes the shadows.

A soft classical music welcomed her, hands in her pocket as she sat right in front of the bartender - a different one from where she was led by before. In a second, a drink was right in front of her.

"Your usual."

Minjeong nods her head, "Thanks, Ryu."

Then a new presence was felt beside her, and Minjeong can only take a deep breath - the familiar aura that engulfs her, all eyes on the girl beside her. A stark difference when Minjeong was the one who entered, no one dared to look at her.

"Why the long face, Min?"

Minjeong takes a sip, "Dunno." she answered shortly.

"Long day?"

Then she looked at the girl beside her, it was Ningning - god of Love. The girl was sporting red hair, which is how in character of her, Minjeong thinks. "A boring day, if you say."

Ningnng chuckles, her strawberry shake being served by Ryujin, "You still don't like them, I see."

Minjeong frowns, it was such a huge thing to accuse her of, when in fact, "I don't really care about these mortals."

"Hate?" Ningning pesters with a grin.

And Minjeong knew what she was doing, and it was not working. "How can I hate something that I feel indifferent about?"

Ningning's face fell, but she shrugged her shoulders in response, "But you do find them entertaining."

"And pathetic." Minjeong mutters, earning a light smack from the girl beside.

"That's not nice to say." Ningning reprimands.

Minjeong rolls her eyes, "They don't see death as a nice thing to welcome them."

"It's a scary thing for most of them, an end to everything."

"Some do welcome it like an old friend," Minjeong answers quietly, "I am simply giving them freedom."

"How noble," Ningning said, her voice laced with sarcasm that did not go unnoticed by Minjeong - with Ryujin stifling a laugh at the comment.

"Why do you care about them so much?" Minjeong questions.

Ningning lets out a smile, "Because they always see beauty in their time, looking for someone to spend it with, a friend, a partner, a sibling, parents."

"You romanticize them too much, Ning."

"That's my job, Min." Ning retorts back.

"And yet their time is too short," Minjeong said, gulping her drink in one go, "with too many regrets eating them alive."

"Do I hear concern in your voice?"

"Don't push it." Minjeong answers before standing up, "See you when I see you." She waved haphazardly, with a lazy nod to Ryujin.

Leaving the two to watch her figure disappear behind the door, "You won't stop with your agenda about her caring about these mortals, hm?" Ryujin said before grabbing the empty glass from where Minjeong was sitting earlier.

"It doesn't hurt to try, Ryu."

"Well, goodluck with that," Ryujin answered with a chuckle, "Min is an empty shell, I doubt she remembers a single name of a mortal that she met."

Ningning smiles and swirled her shake around, "She's a tough nut to crack."

"That's one thing to put it."

/

Days passed and souls were ticked off from the never ending list that Minjeong has.

One soul after another.

One regret and lie being said day after day.

And Minjeong just collected it, doing it with nothing but the sake of doing and finishing her list of the day.

Names forgotten as they disappear in front of her - soulless eyes the last thing she stares at before walking away.

Then soon enough, she was standing in front of a house - a decent one, not too luxurious nor too shabby. Checking the list that she has, a simple name written - Yu Suyeon. 

It was such a gloomy atmosphere, not bothering to knock as she simply walked inside through the shadows, watching as other mortals came together in the living room. As if they have foreseen and expected the passing of the person that is on her list. The small and brittle smiles that they share, a heavy sigh that some of them let out.

Minjeong just stood there, in the quiet corner, where shadows loomed and hugged her presence - watching everyone try to distract themselves from the inevitable death of Yu Suyeon. Probably thinking that it has not reached their door, when in fact death is already inside.

In a quick moment, someone was running down the stairs - calling everyone's attention.

"Call an ambulance, right now!"

And that was her cue.

As Minjeong blinked, she's inside a different room - the closet that was kept tidy, along with the table beside it. Various frames containing pictures of the familiar faces that she saw downstairs, colors white and sage green painted on the wall - giving a very relaxing effect. She stood there, right behind the door - as everyone was in hysteria in front of an old woman.

One look at the woman on the bed, and Minjeong knows she's the one on her list.

One look and she knows the cause - and an ambulance would just be a waste of time.

Because Yu Suyeon does not have enough time anymore.

Cancer.

Terminally ill.

Two to three months.

Miraculously, she endured it for six months.

Minjeong watched them cry, hearing their pleas for the old woman to fight more - to make more time. Some just stood beside the bed, silently crying, while some were vocal about their emotions. Such hideous weakness to see, to beg for more when they have given much more already.

A selfish act.

Then suddenly, someone ran inside the room, "The ambulance is here, let them through!"

Then nurses rushed inside, checking the vitals and doing the necessary procedure before they transferred the old woman to a stretcher and walked out of the room - the others following.

Minjeong was left inside, along with the woman who slowly sat up from her bed - looking around until her eyes connected to Minjeong.

An eyebrow twitched, Minjeong stood there for a second.

"You're here," Suyeon said, and Minjeong realized she's one of those mortals that welcomes her like an old friend.

"Good evening," Minjeong walks out of the shadow, revealing herself to the woman who only smiled gently at her, "you don't seem quite surprised to see me."

"It was such a long fight," Suyeon wistfully said, "I knew you were coming sooner or later."

"I see," Minjeong nods her head, "you seem quite loved by the people around you." she comments, as she loo