It’s my precious Sunday; the only day-off I get from this horrible job and it has already been ruined.

I was seriously looking forward to sleeping in today. I would have woken up at twelve, cooked something delicious for lunch and then spent the rest of the day watching ‘Two Days, One Night’ on TV. I would have called over Baekhyun with his badass boyfriend for dinner, curse them both to hell and back for the trouble they had caused me and then possibly cry about my life over kimchi spaghetti.

My precious Sunday would have been perfect, had it not been for Kim Jongin calling at eight in the morning about some emergency.

 So I end up walking down a crowded street with a cup of coffee that was supposed to be latte -but the teenage waiter couldn’t be bothered with milk, apparently- and an overexcited dancer on my toes.

It’s a sunny and warm day, which makes me ever moodier, because the weather is completely unsympathetic to my circumstances.

“What’s the emergency?” I cut to the chase, like every person who is forced to wake up early on their day off.

“I wanted to see you!”Jongin grins, stupidly, which I end up finding cute.

“Whatever for?” I hide my face in the coffee. I really don’t need feelings at nine in the freaking morning.

He’s rubbing his puffy eyes and his lips are pursed together and there’s a soft pink on his cheek and no matter how much he fights to smooth down his bed hair, some strands are still flying about.

“I missed you.” He sniffs and if he looked underage before, now he looks positively pre-school.

Ah.

What’s up with this? Why am I getting excited, when I should be mad?

“Yah, are you trying to piss me off? Cut it out.” It’s not like we’re in love or anything. I’m not a child either, to be touched the moment someone says they missed me.

“Okay, okay… I got it, hyungnim.” I very much doubt it.

“So there was no emergency…” I sigh. I’m not going to last four months if he keeps this up.

“I was so excited and curious about everything that I couldn’t sleep.” He tries to explain in a small voice.

I sneak a look at his face again. True enough, there are dark circles under his eyes in spite of the lively expression that’s he’s sporting so obnoxiously. “You want to know more huh?”

“Of course!” He replies the same second.

“I guess all this is a game to you. Arrows and love gods and unrequited loves…” Anyone would feel the same. I’m not really surprised if that’s the case.

“Yes. A game.” When he speaks with a voice so steady, I can’t help but stare at him. “This feels like an adventure. Like I’ve suddenly entered a fairytale where I’m the main hero.”

Jongin notices my dumbfounded face and chuckles. “I’m seriously happy.” He admits. “D.O. hyung, you keep saying it was a mistake that I got involved. But I think I was really lucky to be hit by your arrow.”

I know Jongin for three days now.

It’s hardly enough time to understand someone. Right now, I can only make shallow observations about him. He’s good-looking, he can dance, he’s sneaky, rude the one moment and nice the next, his lips are seductive, his arms are longer than mine- that kind of thing.

All these things are details, though. Things that don’t really help me understand who he is.

It’s only been three days and I’m not ridiculous enough to think I know Kim Jongin.

And yet…

“Hyung, are you okay? Have you turned into stone suddenly? Hyung!”

And yet when he says he’s happy, every time he smiles at me and calls himself lucky, I could swear he’s being honest. I’m so blind right now that despite not knowing his character, I am unable to question his sincerity.

Just one arrow had turned me into a huge idiot.  After all, it is common knowledge among Cupids that the worst kind of love is unrequited love.

“The idea behind unrequited love is that, if someone doesn’t know what love is, Cupids make him fall for someone who doesn’t love him back, so that he gets a clue.” Maybe changing the subject will make me stop feeling so uneasy.

“Huh?” Jongin narrows his eyebrows questioningly.

“You said you were excited and wanted to know about unrequited love, right?” I drink a little from my cup, leaving him to absorb the new information.

“Ah! Yes. Ok. Tell me then, hyung.”

“The person falls in love with someone who doesn’t love him back to learn about love. Then, when time passes and the person forgets about his unrequited love, he makes a wish to find a new lover- someone who loves him back, this time.” I start over.

“I see, I see… Because a person must wish to find true love before his name is placed in the matchmaking list.” Jongin must really see this as an adventure, for him to be so thrilled.

“Of course all that sounds lovely to you. However, working at the Department of Unreciprocated Likes and Loves is -like the acronym suggests- awfully dull for a Love God. It’s stupid.” I had promised to act like Baekhyun this time. To not wreck the boy’s ideas about love and rainbows and… stuff. But I guess that can’t happen. I don’t have it in me to squeal and say ‘love is a blessing’ no matter what.

“So Cupids of this Department, get on the rooftop of the Headquarters and shoot randomly. Each arrow goes off and finds a target on its own. That’s why these arrows are called ‘stray arrows’. And, by extend, the Love Gods who shoot them are also called ‘Strays’.” So, essentially, you do nothing at all.

“That’s awesome!” He exclaims and I glare back.

“It’s the worst kind of job for a Love God.” I declare adamantly.

“You keep saying that, but to me it all sounds amazing.” As expected, Jongin doesn’t falter in his excitement. “Can I come over to watch some time?”

 “Definitely not.” I scoff.

“Then, since I can’t see you during work, should I move in with hyung?” Huh?!

Wait a second! When exactly did I show weakness for him to think he can ask something like this?

“What?” I screech. “Yah! You’re underage. Do I look crazy, to let you stay with me?”

“I can sleep on the floor. You don’t have to share your bed with me.” He has the nerve to say this in a straight face.

“It’s not that!” I’m going nuts, seriously…

“Oh, so you don’t mind sleeping together?” He raises an eyebrow suggestively at me, which earns him a good smack at the back of the head. 

“A teenager living with me is illegal, idiot. What would your parents say?” Do I look like I have a death wish?

“It’s just my dad.” Jongin shrugs unaffected. “We don’t have to tell him.”

Well this is rich. A whole new level of illegal.

“If I take you without asking, that’s kidnapping!” I’m not crazy enough to do this. Not yet at least.

“But Heenim said you had to look after me.” The dark-skinned boy scrunches his mouth in a frown.

“He didn’t say I have to adopt you.” Not that I would put it past Heechul sunbae to suggest that… but at least he didn’t say it. “Checking up on you once a week is enough.”

“Once a w-week?!” Jongin jerks backwards, a disbelieving look on his face. “T-that is very irresponsible of you! Anything can happen to me within a week.”

Heh, nice try. “If something happens you can call me.”

“What if I can’t get hold of my phone? What if you’re sleeping and you don’t hear it? What if the battery runs out?” He clings onto me, whining. “Let’s just live together, hyung!”

“Living together is out of the question.” I try to untangle myself from him and fail.

“Hyung…” if the stupid kid thinks he can affect me with this body-pressing-on-body technique and this cute sniffling and this lost puppy look, he’s in for a big surprise.

I’m not that easily swayed. Yeah. Exactly.

“I’m not kidnapping you. Forget it.” I sigh, shutting my eyes. “The best I can do, is walk you home after school.”

I feel his body freeze near me and I smirk. “D-Did you just say- that you… will – that you agree to walk me home?”

“Unless you don’t want to.” I half-shrug (because my right shoulder is trapped in Jongin’s death grip).

“No! I don’t mind at all.” Now, he catches me in a full-on hug, practically squeezing the breath out of my lungs.

“In fact,” he adds after releasing me, “I have dance practice right after school. Maybe you’d like to walk me here.”

Aish. Before I even get a chance to relax from this assault, he goes back to being cute.

“Yes. Whatever. I can do that.” I clear my throat awkwardly. “Fine.”

What am I even saying?

“Okay! I’ll message you the address of my school and the time to pick me up.” Jongin gloats and goes on to ask if he can use my bow and arrows some time, which of course earns him a well-deserved kick in the shin.

Then, he suggests going to see a movie and I lie about being busy and having people over for lunch, while I run away from him and back to the safety of my own house.

Later that day, I leave a second, furious message in Baekhyun’s phone and go to bed thinking that tomorrow will be the beginning of the end for me.

I make the same observation, the next morning, on my way to my new post.

This is the beginning of the end.

I thought I would never stoop so low as to become one of the Strays. In fact, I remember declaring, once that I –and I quote- would rather jump off that rooftop, than do such a pathetic job.

Then again, I also said I would rather pick my eyes out with my own arrows, than fall in love.  So, the first thing I have to do is stop making heavy declarations which involve my imminent death, from now on.

That and messing up my life.

The first two things in my To-Do List.

And, no, I did not just think that the third one should be ‘Kim Jongin’.

Aish. Stupid, infected mind.

I glower at an unsuspecting guy with thick-rimmed glasses riding the elevator with me. Lucky dude is probably getting off in the twentieth floor, at the Higher Up offices. Unlike me, who is going all the way to the D.U.L.L. to begin the first of many boring and meaningless days.

Surprisingly, the guy with the glasses looks back at me with an expression that can only be described as sardonic.

The hell?

Can’t he see I’m not in the mood to socialize?

“You have a face like you work at the Unrequited Love Department.” The guy smirks and the corners of his mouth turn up in a way so feline that he looks like the human version of a Siamese cat.

“How did you know I work at D.U.L.L.?” I don’t even bother to feel surprised about his knowledge, let alone look it.

“You have that expression of utter boredom and annoyance.” He replies.

“Plus, you pressed the button for the rooftop.” Very funny.

Now I’m being made fun of by a Higher Up for working as a Stray. That’s a new kind of rock-bottom.

“But, seriously, you should stop calling our Department ‘D.U.L.L.’ or ‘Stray Department’. Myunmyun won’t be happy to hear that.” The feline-looking boy with the thick glasses adds with a fresh smirk as he exits the elevator.

Wait, now. Are you telling me he was going to the rooftop as well?

I make a move to follow the cat guy, when a new face pops in front of me. This time it’s a face that can only be called ‘handsome’.

“You must be D.O.” A second person, looking slightly older than me, talks softly, with a steady tone and a steady smile.

To tell you the truth, I kind of enjoy reading people. Every time I meet someone, I categorize them in my head. It is just as obnoxious as it sounds and my first impressions are often wrong; I’ll admit it.

After all (I’ve said it before, haven’t I?) you can never really understand a person the moment you meet them. It’s impossible.

But I am a man of order. Which means that I always feel the need to put everyone in a box with a label on it.

Baekhyun is the ‘romantic klutz type’. Head Cupid is the ‘self-important ert type’. Jongin is the ‘cute type’. The guy from the elevator, hm… probably the ‘mischievous feline type’. And this person greeting me right now is the ‘just nice type’.

“My name is Suho. I am the Head Cupid of the Unrequited Love Department.” Says the ‘just nice type’ as I bow mechanically.

Okay… I wasn’t expecting anything particularly impressive anyway.  At least he’s not a ert.

“Please look after me from now on.” Not that I could actually mess up more than I have already, but… just to be safe.

“He looks gloomy doesn’t he, Myunmyun?” A bespectacled face (belonging to the elevator kid) jumps into view from behind ‘Suho’, where he must have been hiding ever since he ran out of the elevator. “It’s as if he hates being here.”

Cat boy is perceptive. I’ll give him that. “I don't hate-”

“Cut it out, Chen.” My new superior interrupts, ‘tsk’ing at the guy, and pushing him away. “And don’t call me that. I’m the boss here.”

“Yeah, yeah… You are, Myunmyun, don’t worry.” Chen pats the other’s brown hair like he’s talking to a child and I’m starting to think that, unlike Heechul sunbae who was a slavemaster kind of boss, this Head Cupid is a total pushover.

“Anyway,” Suho lets out a low growl, turning his attention back to me. “I believe that you already know how our Department works, am I right D.O. sshi?”

Who doesn’t? “Of course.” I used to make jokes about them with Baekhyun before.

The feline boy, Chen probably (is that even Korean?), eyes me closely. “I bet he used to laugh at us behind our backs because of our job.” He remarks with a smirk that I’m starting to think is glued to his face permanently.

This guy is seriously rude – not to mention surprisingly sharp.

How on earth did he know I used to laugh at them?

I make no move to deny Chen’s words, but the ‘just nice’ Head Cupid snaps at him first, giving him a good ten-minute lecture which includes a lot of meaningless whining (‘you keep doing that’, ‘getting really tired of this’, ‘simply can’t understand you anymore’, ‘feel like I’m being bullied’) and a couple of very mild threats (‘never taking you out for karaoke ever again’, ‘break time reduced by five minutes’).

Naturally, Chen listens to this monologue with more interest and pure amusement, than regret for his behavior.

In the end, cat-guy’s extremely severe punishment –note the sarcasm- is to show me around and stick by my side, until we’ve become good friends. 

“Make sure, D.O. sshi feels welcome!” Head Cupid Suho repeats for the third or fourth time, as he scurries to his office to finish some paperwork.

I chuckle. What a naïve guy.

“You’re lucky for having to work under such a…” Pushover, I think mockingly. “Such a compromising Head Cupid.”

Chen isn’t really taller than me, yet he suddenly straightens up and seems superior. “Myunmyun hyung is a great person. Don’t make fun of him.” He glares at me through the thick glasses.

But, isn’t this guy here the one who’s been making fun of the Head Cupid?

“Aren’t you going to show me around?” Despite trying to hide my annoyance, it’s still noticeable.

“Right. Follow me.” Chen walks towards a metallic door at the other side of the room and pushes it open.

Oh. Wow. So this is the rooftop.

It’s so high… You can see all the way over to the Han River; the whole city under your feet, as they say.

I’m not easily impressed, but even I can’t deny that there’s something mesmerizing about this place. All around us, there are buildings of every type. Some are big and others small, with tiny windows, or transparent, glass walls. Coming in different colors and even different shapes, they create a striking pattern like a piece of art. And if you really focus on the gray streets, between them, the whole city resembles a maze.

When I stand so high above everything, I can’t help but get detached from the world. Looking down on a maze-like city, I begin to see people as mice running around frantically and suddenly, the mere thought of sending arrows to their hearts makes me feel like a real Love God.

Jongin would squeak like a little kindergarten brat, If he could see what I’m seeing.  Not that I’m ever allowing him to come over…

“I sure hope you’re not scared of heights.” I shake my head at Chen’s question. I kind of like high places, to be honest.

And then I notice them.

There’s group of people, each a few meters apart from the other, covering the entire perimeter of the rooftop. They all have bows and arrows and just like I’ve heard, they shoot randomly.

I watch shocked as a red-haired guy raises his bow and releases an arrow with his eyes closed.

 “This is Minseok hyung.” The guy next to me, who probably followed my gaze, explains. “He got sent here because of a prank he supposedly pulled when he was at the Crafting Department. Something involving love arrows, light explosives and a lot of glitter- I don’t really know the details.”

I gulp. And here I was thinking he seemed nice.

But wait… “What do you mean ‘supposedly’?”

Chen leans closer conspiratorially. “Do you see the pretty, blonde guy in the blue jacket, over there?” He points in the corner of the rooftop.

I nod, musing at a guy with a boyish haircut and a boyish pair of red sneakers and a boyish smile on a boyish face.

“Well, he’s Luhan hyung. Chinese. He speaks Korean, though, so don’t call him names in his face unless you want to wake up from an evening nap with your pants glued on the common room couch.” Chen adds with too much detail for it to be the product of his imagination.

“Well, anyway, the mastermind behind the Crafting Department prank was clearly Luhan hyung. Poor Minseok hyung probably got dragged into it by force and sadly ended up here.” I stare at the two guys, wondering exactly what sort of prank one has to pull to get demoted to the Strays.

Then I remember the light explosives and the glitter and I decide to never ask further.

“The guy with the bright orange-yellow hair is Lay hyung. Also Chinese, but you can call him names. He usually forgets about it.”

I look around for someone fitting that description and my eyes rest on the backside of a guy who’s trying to fish an arrow out of an empty quiver.

“Does he know there are no arrows in his quiver?” I whisper worriedly. This one is definitely an oddball.

“Not sure.” Chen replies less worried. “Lay hyung is very forgetful and kind of eccentric. But it’s not like he messed any of his fated meetings, or anything like that…”

“Then why..?” Why did he end up in this place?

“He had a habit of coming to work without shoes, or wearing his pajamas. Also, sometimes, he wouldn’t talk to anyone for weeks. Or he would sneak up behind people and make very off-handed jokes about the way they smell.” I cringe at that.

“His previous boss looked almost hysterical when he begged Myunmyun to take him to our Department.” Chen scrunches his cat-like mouth, probably recalling the event.

Makes sense. This… Lay person is emitting weird vibes that are powerful enough to hit me in the face.

“What about the sleeping kid with the colorful hair?” I point at a young-looking boy who is sitting down, Indian style, sleeping soundly. “Why was he sent in the Unrequited Love Department?”

“Oh Sehun?!” Chen rolls his eyes. “He was just too lazy to work. He didn’t bother showing up for his fateful meetings, because he was sleeping and on top of that he was rude to his superiors.”

Just like I thought, I’m stuck with the worst kind of weirdoes in the entire love industry.

“And, finally, there’s Chanyeol.” Chen motions at a very tall, lanky guy with spiked hair, who’s holding his bow funny.

“What did he blow up?” I joke, but regret it immediately as Chen raises his eyebrows at me.

“Have you heard he blew up something?” He gasps, scooting closer to me. “What do you know? Speak up!”

“N-No… I was only guessing.” Woah… did I hit a sore spot, or something?

“Well, no one really knows what Chanyeol did. There are legends about it… But I’ve heard so much that I don’t know what to believe anymore.” I shiver and I’m pretty sure it’s not because it’s cold up here.

“What I can tell you for sure is that he got demoted on his first day as a Love God. One matchmake and after that he was thrown in here without a second word.” Chen nods convincingly. “He might look harmless and goofy, yet you never know what he might do.”

Great. And here I thought Baekhyun was the weirdest person I know. 

Now, I have all these mental and possibly dangerous Cupids and -to top it all- an overexcited teenager who thinks he’s in love with me.

“Isn’t there anyone normal in this Department? Are there only people who got dumped in here? No one came willingly?"

“I came willingly.” Chen shrugs and I take a step back in shock.

“Seriously?” Of all these guys, Chen is the normal one? Chen?!

Like, seriously?

“Sure.” He assures.

“Then, why did you come to this Department? I mean, it , right?” I don’t get it.

“Maybe it does . But what was I supposed to do? Myunmyun was getting away from me. And I couldn’t let that happen. He loves me, you know. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

A-A stalker?!

I knew it. I knew he couldn’t be normal. He’s just an obsessive stalker trying to get in the pants of a clueless guy who can’t stop smiling to save his life.

“Hey, guys!” Suddenly Chen raises his voice to call after the others on the rooftop. “Yah, Oh Sehun, wake the hell up! We have a new member.”

One after the other, unfamiliar faces turn to stare at me and despite not wanting to, I stare back.

First, I can see mild surprise from the supposed prankster, then mischievous glee from the real glitter culprit, deep confusion from weird vibe guy, sleepiness from rainbow hair kid and pure excitement from the creepy criminal.

“This is D.O.” Chen winks in a manner that is meant to be encouraging. “He’s the guy Myunmyun talked about the other day.”

“The one who took another Cupid’s matchmake-” The first guy to my right with the orange hair and the puffy cheek starts.

“And messed it up by shooting himself with his own arrow?” The blonde guy, with the glitter prank, finishes.

I open my mouth to defend my honor- though I’m not really sure about how I can do that- but a loud snort from the rainbow kid prevents me.

“He shot himself…” The one with the orange-yellow hair, who was looking for arrows in an empty quiver, furrows his eyebrows at me, like I’m a very interesting puzzle he wants to put together.

“With his own… arrow?” He says after an unnecessarily long pause.

“Yes, that’s D.O.!” Chen smirks deviously.

“That’s so funny.” The tall, creepy guy laughs at my expense- as if he has any right! “You’re really weird, aren’t you, D.O. sshi?”

I’m weird? Me?

Really?!

“No, I’m not! I’m perfectly normal.” I shout heatedly. How dare they?

“So you didn’t get bribed with a flying carpet to take up another Cupid’s matchmake?” I spin around, only to be met with Suho, or Myunmyun, or whatever, smiling brightly at me.

“Didn’t you reveal your identity as a Love God to a human after you accidentally made him fall for you?” He continues in a light tone, while his words slap me across the face.  

“You didn’t hit yourself with your arrow, making you fall for that human as well? Did we get the wrong person?” Head Cupid pouts with wide eyes and I curse him and his niceness.

“No, that’s me.” I hiss, trying not to think that I might not be any more normal than these people on the rooftop.

We’re supposed to be Love Gods. We’re at the top of the city, looking down at the maze of buildings from a superior point of view. We are the ones observing lowly humans and controlling their love lives.

And I bet that if these lowly humans knew who’s responsible for their happiness, they wouldn’t be able to sleep at night from worry.

A/N: I did take a while to update, I know. 

But it's a pretty big chapter. And, hey! The rest of the pack is here (almost). 

A huge kiss for the new (and old) subscribers and the people who commented and those who upvoted. *blows kisses*

By the way, do you like the new poster?