A/N: The tears quote and the quote about lies are directly from the 49 days kdrama and I am crediting them here~ This fic is dedicated to my waifu <3 Also, Its six a.m. and I am tired so if theres errors I apologize and will fix them later ^^

 

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

 

“I'm Heechul. Kim Heechul.”

 

Hangeng nodded a bit in response before he snapped his fingers and they were suddenly in a garden, the sounds of water falling in a fountain breaking the silent background. Heechul looked around at all the flowers and looked at Hangeng with a confused face.

 

“Where are we?”

 

“Talking on the sidewalk at the site of an accident was getting distracting. So I took us to this garden.” Hangeng said simply. “Now, as you have just become a 49 days traveler, I need to tell you that there are rules and things to keep in mind. If you do not abide by these rules I will instantly call the elevator for you and your life on this world will end.” Heechul just looked at him with an straight face as he nodded. Hangeng stepped closer to him and held up his index finger.

 

“First of all, you will remain a soul for 49 days until either the 49 days are up or you collect three drops of one hundred percent pure tears.”

 

Heechul raised an eyebrow before crossing his arms over his chest. “Tears? Why tears?”

 

“Tears are the most accurate representation of feelings, because eyes are where you can find your inner soul. Many people may cry for you, but if it isn't one hundred percent pure it won't do anything for you. People cry for many reasons – sympathy, jealousy, anger. . .the list goes on. So you must find three people who truly love you in order to come back to life.”

 

“Well that won't be hard.” Heechul said with a laugh. “My mother, my father, and Donghae. All three of them will cry for me and I will get out of this mess and go back to my life.”

 

Hangeng shook his finger and clicked his tongue. “Family doesn't count. That love is unconditional.”

 

Heechul made a face as Hangeng snapped his fingers and a beautiful teardrop shaped necklace appeared around Heechul's neck.

 

“This is what will collect your tears. This is also what keeps you as a 49 days traveler. If this necklace breaks then you will have to go straight to the elevator.” Hangeng explained. He pressed a few buttons on his phone before he pulled up a man's profile. “While you are a soul, I'm sure you've noticed that you can't touch anything or speak to anyone or even be seen by humans. You are allowed to borrow the body of this man only in order to go about your business and get the tears.”

 

Heechul made a face. “I have to live in someone else's body?”

 

“Yes. And their life takes priority. This man has a life as well, and you are not allowed to interfere with it. You can't let him know you are using his body.” Hangeng stated. “If you try to reveal who you are while using his body, or leave any clues to reveal to him you are using his body your necklace will break and you will immediately be taken to the elevator.”

 

Heechul nodded as he took everything in. “So basically while this man is sleeping I can borrow his body but I have to have it back at his house as if nothing happened at all before he wakes up?”

 

“Yes that's right.”

 

“Sounds easy enough. So who is the lucky guy who gets to have Kim Heechul borrow his body?”

 

Hangeng rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, transporting them both to a shabby looking area of town. Right before them was a tiny one room apartment and Heechul shivered as he looked at the door.

 

“He lives here?!” Heechul said as he pointed at the door. “Does this place even pass building codes because this looks absolutely horrible!”

 

Hangeng smacked Heechul's head. “If you don't like it I can call the elevator right now. You won't even have to step inside if you take that route.”

 

Heechul glared at him and murmured something about having to bear it.

 

Hangeng pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to Heechul. Heechul stared at the object in his hands before he looked at Hangeng.

 

“You can use that cell phone to call me in case of an emergency. The big icon in the middle is what you press to call me. You can call people in the human world too so you can get your tears and whatever else you need the phone for.” Hangeng looked around as he tried to remember what the other thing he wanted to say was before he looked back at Heechul. “It also tells you how many days you have left out of the 49.”

 

“Okay that sounds good.” Heechul said and inspected the phone before pocketing it. He pointed at the door of the apartment. “So who is this guy?”

 

“His name is Choi Siwon. He works night shift at a convenience store nearby so you can use his body while he sleeps during the day. His working hours are from one a.m. to nine thirty a.m. so you have to be back in time for him to get up and go about his usual rouine.” Hangeng explained. “He usually gets up around midnight and falls asleep around ten so those hours are off limits to you. Remember that you have to put his body back before he wakes up.”

 

Heechul just nodded and waved the words away before he pointed at the door. “Let's go inside now.” He said and Hangeng raised an eyebrow before he snapped his fingers and transported them inside.

 

Heechul gasped as he looked down at the man sleeping on the floor in front of him. He looked horrible, his face slender from probably eating only ramyun for awhile and his skin and hair dirty as if he hadn't taken a proper shower recently.

 

“I have to use this body?!” Heechul asks. This was getting to be too much. He not only had to live as a soul because of someone else's mistake but now he had to use the body of such a dirty person.

 

Hangeng looked at Heechul with an unamused expression. His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket before sighing heavily. “I have an appointment. . .But before I go, one more thing. You need to work if you want money. You can't use Siwon's.”

 

Heechul huffed loudly in annoyance and stared at Siwon before turning to Hangeng. “If I get three drops of pure tears, I will really come back right? You aren't lying to me?” Hangeng leaned closer so his face was not far from Heechul's.

 

“Lies are things only humans say.” Hangeng said softly before he snapped his fingers and disappeared instantaneously.

 

Heechul sighed and ran a hand through his dark hair. He glanced around the bare apartment and at the man whose body he would have to use to get the tears before smiling.

 

“Getting three tears shouldn't be difficult. People love me.”

 

-~-~-~-~-~-

 

Heechul paced around the empty apartment, waiting for Siwon to get back from work. He just had to wait till the younger man went to sleep and he could use his body.

 

Just then, Siwon stepped through the door and shuffled over to his bed after removing his shoes. Without even bothering to change he hung up his jacket and then slid into the blankets, falling asleep quickly. Heechul shook his head at the sad state of the man, wondering how someone could sink so low to not even care about their appearance or what they ate.

 

Heechul waited a little while for Siwon's breathing to even out before he leaned forward and merged his soul with the man's body. He opened Siwon's eyes and shivered as he looked down at his hands.

 

Oh my god he's filthy. . . Heechul thought as he sat up and quickly ran to the bathroom. He shut the door and was about to turn on the shower when he noticed something was missing. Where. . .Where's the soap?! Where's the shampoo?! Heechul ran around the bathroom looking through the cabinets but there was nothing but two towels and a toothbrush. He looked in the mirror at the man whose body he was using and felt the tears welling up in his eyes. How could anyone live that way? How could anyone completely ignore basic hygene for so long? He needed to buy soap and shampoo. He ran to put on Siwon's jacket and shoes to go buy some when he suddenly remembered that he wasn't allowed to use Siwon's money.

 

Heechul ran back out to the room and grabbed the phone Hangeng gave him. He pushed the button to call scheduler and waited for the other man to pick up. When he didn't get an answer he pushed the button repeatedly until Hangeng appeared right in front of him with an annoyed face.

 

“What do you want?!” Hangeng hissed.

 

“I don't have any money!” Heechul cried and clung to Hangeng's arm. “Siwon is filthy and I can't wash him because he doesn't have soap! I can't go look for tears and get a job without getting clean!”

 

Hangeng gulped as Heechul clung to him. He was supposed to remain an impartial observer to the human world but it would cause more trouble if Heechul started stealing money from Siwon. He reached into his pocket and shoved a little bit of money into Heechul's hand and pried the man off of him.

 

“Take it but you better pay me back.” Hangeng said as he looked at Siwon's face. Heechul smiled widely at Hangeng, making the scheduler feel a pain in his chest. He didn't have long to think about why that happened before Heechul was running out the door yelling something about paying him back after buying hair products.

 

Hangeng sighed as he is left alone in the tiny one room apartment. A shiver ran up his spine and a feeling of overwhelming sadness started to diffuse through his being.

 

“This place makes me uncomfortable. . .” He murmured to himself before he snapped his fingers and vanished, leaving the apartment empty.

 

-~-~-~-~-~-

 

Heechul stepped out into the chilly air and sighed heavily as he pulled his jacket around him. Once he had gotten Siwon clean he found that the man had a great body and a great face. Why Siwon was living alone in a tiny box without soap was a mystery to him.

 

He had found a box of Siwon's clothing that looked extremely stylish and high fashion. It looked to be a few years old, but he could make it work. The box looked fairly untouched so he decided to hide the soap and hair products in there so his traces were gone and Siwon wouldn't know that anyone was in there.

 

And that was how he ended up on the street trying to figure out which side of town he would have the best luck finding a job. Hangeng had said that Siwon worked in a nearby convenience store so he had to go somewhere across town. It wouldn't be good if he was recognized as Siwon and people started asking questions about his life that Heechul just couldn't answer.

 

Heechul sighed and left the area on a bus that would take him to downtown Seoul. He figured it would be easiest to find a job near the hospital so he could keep an eye on his body. If his friends came to visit him he would have to be sure to get them to cry so that he could get tears and come back to life.

 

The bus stopped near the hospital and Heechul figured that was a good place to start. He wanted to see the state of his body before he went to go look for a job so he strode up to the front desk and asked where Kim Heechul's room was. The nurse looked at Siwon's handsome face and blushed as she looked up the room number. She told him it was the last room on the fourth floor and he smiled at her before walking off to the elevators, causing her and the other nurses to swoon at his good looks.

 

Heechul walked to the end of the hallway and stopped before his hand touched the door handle. He could hear voices on the other side. His parent's voices.

 

“Why?! Why did it have to be Heechul?! He is so young and lively! How could this happen to him?!” Heechul's mother wailed. A deeper voice tried to soothe her as she cried at her son's bedside.

 

“Dear the doctor said its a coma. He can come out of it at any time. We just have to be patient and wait for Heechul to come back to us.” His father said softly. “He will come back and things will be like they were. You, Me, Heechul, and even Donghae. If Heechul comes back, I will let him be with whoever he wants to be with. . .”

 

Heechul's eyes widened as he listened to his father speak from the other side of the door. A coma? Is that why my body got separated from my soul? He lifted his hand to the teardrop necklace and stared at the door. Father. . .you will let me be with Donghae if I come back to you? I'm trying. . .so we can all be a happy family again. Just wait for me. . .mother. . .father. . .

 

Heechul stepped away from the door and went back down the hallway. He couldn't meet his parents in Siwon's body. Later when he left Siwon's body he would come back and visit his family, even if they couldn't see him. It would put his own heart at ease even to see them for just a moment.

 

The sky started to darken as Heechul stepped outside and looked around, surveying the area for appropriate places to work. He spies a nearby cafe and asks the management if theres a part time position available for 48 days and they laughed and told him that jobs like that didn't exist. The same thing happened at a nearby shoe store and Heechul tried to contain his anger as he smiled politely and walked back outside. Who were they to laugh at his circumstances? The next store he went into was a clothing shop he would have loved to work it, they even said that he would make a great model but they just weren't hiring. He tried to reason with the owner and tell him he would work for low wages but the employees pushed him outside and said they just couldn't hire him. Heechul angrily stared at the door and was about to let out a string of curses when a friendly looking blonde man strode over to him.

 

“Are you looking for a job?” The man asked softly. Heechul stared back at him, unable to form words for fear that his anger would carry over onto this passerby. “You are aren't you?” He smiled so wide a dimple appeared on his cheek. Heechul nodded a bit and the man quickly took his arm and started to drag him down the block to a restaurant with a sign on the outside that read 'Heaven'.

 

“My boss is looking for someone to help out. Let me go tell him I found someone so just wait here okay?” The blonde man said before he left Heechul standing alone on the patio in Siwon's body, shocked and wondering what just happened.

 

A few minutes later a short man appeared in the entryway of the restaurant and the other employees stared out the large windows to get a glimpse of the newcomer. The same man with the blonde hair stood behind the shorter man as he looked Heechul over.

 

“I am told you are looking for a job.” The short man said with a soft smile. His hair was dark and his smile slightly sad as he looked at Heechul. “What's your name?”

 

“Kim Hee-” The teardrop necklace began to glow red and Heechul grabbed it quickly as Hangeng's words echoed in his mind. He couldn't reveal who he was or his necklace would break and he would immediately be sent to the elevator.

 

“Its Siwon. Choi Siwon.” He corrected himself.

 

“Okay then Siwon-ah. Can you be a waiter?” the man said and Heechul nodded politely. He had to be in better control of his own brash personality. He was in Siwon's body and had to try to act so. . .Heechul-like.

 

“I have some conditions though. . .” Heechul said softly as he remembered how Hangeng said he had to be back in time for Siwon to get up to go to his convenience store job. “I can't work past eleven p.m and I can't come in earlier than eleven a.m.” He said with a nod. It's best to give an hour to get home and an hour to get back so I don't interfere with Siwon's life.

 

“I can accommodate that.” The dark haired man said with a nod. “Is there anything else?”

 

Heechul held his teardrop necklace in his fingers as he looked at the owner of the restaurant. “I only need to work here for 49 days. After that I won't need to work here anymore and I won't need a super high wage either.” He said softly. If I get three teardrops I can go back to my life and I won't have to work, but if I don't get them I will have to take the elevator. . .either way I won't need a job after 49 days are up.

 

“Why is that? Are you moving?” The owner asked.

 

“Ah. . .no . . .that is. . .its. . .complicated. . .” Heechul said quickly. He wasn't allowed to reveal anything about his situation or he would be sent to the elevator.

 

The dark haired man put his hand in the air to keep Heechul from speaking anymore. “It's fine. I don't want to get involved in your personal life so I won't ask you things that are uncomfortable. Everyone here has things they don't want to share but I let them work anyways. As long as you do your job I don't care.” He shrugged and then waved for the other employees to come outside.

 

“I am Kim Ryeowook, the owner of this restaurant. This is Jungsoo.” He said as he motioned to the blonde who had brought Heechul there. “He is the manager whenever I'm not available.” The next man Ryeowook pointed out was a strong looking man with the most incredible eye smile he had ever seen standing near Jungsoo.

 

“This is Youngwoon. He usually works nights and is our bartender.” Ryeowook then pointed out the two younger looking men standing on the end. “That's Henry and Zhoumi. they are waiters as well and will show you what you need to know. Why don't you guys show Siwon around?” Ryeowook said as he looked to the youngest employees.

 

Henry pouted a little, not liking that he and Zhoumi couldn't be the incredible waiter duo anymore because Heechul was there but he followed Zhoumi anyway as they lead Heechul inside to the employee changing room. Heechul was custom fitted for a uniform by Zhoumi's skilled measuring abilities and then the fashionista got to work fixing one of Youngwoon's extra work outfits so it would fit Heechul's slender body. Henry pouted and whined about how Zhoumi wasn't paying any attention to him because of the newcomer and Zhoumi tried to placate the youngest employee with promises that he wasn't forgotten.

 

Heechul smiled a bit at the two as it reminded him of when he spent time with Donghae. As he thought of how his lover was doing with the news of him being hospitalized, he wandered around the shop and out onto the patio to sit in the sun. It was a beautiful day and there weren't any customers yet, so he decided to just enjoy the nice breeze.

 

Just as he closed his eyes and started to relax, the sound of someone walking up the steps to the patio interrupted the quiet. Heechul opened his eyes and saw a tall dark haired man with eyes lined in kohl approaching the front of the restaurant. He looked at Heechul for a moment and blinked when it started to sink in that he was staring. After looking around to see if there was anyone else there he realized that Heechul could see him. He smiled widely and stepped closer to the table.

 

“Well well. I found Hangeng's little 49 days traveler.”