"Hwayoung-ah." The teacher frowned. "Are you paying attention or not?"

"I am, t-teacher." Hwayoung stuttered. The rest of the class only threw hushed whispers over to their friends. Lee Hwayoung was the most obedient one in the class. Why was she not paying attention to the teacher? Hwayoung's heart crumpled a little bit. 

"I have to be strong," she whispered to herself. "I have to."

The day passed in a daze. It was now the last lesson of the day. The students were already bored out of their minds, but they tried their best to keep their eyes open. Hwayoung was worse. Her eyes were blotchy, her nose was red, and her skin was deathly pale. Her friends tried to spill out what was bothering her but she offered a weak smile and whispered tiredly "I'm fine, just a little bit sick" and it was enough to melt anyone's heart.

She could feel the pounding of her head. Her coughs were gradually getting louder and drier, and her friends kept nudging her. She was irritated, and she threw a little hiss. That had quieten them up.

Her consciousness was wavering now. The pain had gradually gotten bigger, her body was stiff and her coughs had practically shaken everyone up. She kept her eyes on the blackboard, though. Her hands were trembling, and she was shivering even though the temperature in the class was quite warm.

"Hwayoung-ah, please complete this equation." The teacher said. She nodded, even though she only understood half of her teacher's words because of the sound of blood pumping in her ears. Her legs gave a wobbly start, there were several gasps and shrieks of protest.

"Teacher, she needs to get to the clinic-"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," Hwayoung croaked, smiling painfully at her friend Minah. Her friend gave a look of protest, but Hwayoung shrugged it off. 

She wobbled to the blackboard and reached for the chalk. She bit her lip, trying to hold her pain. When she scrubbed the chalk on the board, however, it sends out a small sharp sound that made her hand waver and the chalk fell with a dull thud. She tried to crouch down, but suddenly, she yelped in pain.

There were several shrieks and shouts, but they were muffled by her hands. Her breath was hitched. She screamed, the pain was oh-so-bloodcurdlingly painful, her stomach felt as they were going to vomit up and her bones were aching. She groaned, her friends were trying to pick her up but she kicked them away.

Suddenly, a white feather flew in front of her and she felt light, lighter than the air. The pain subsided down, and she closed her eyes. 

When she opened it again, she was standing, breathing normally, and she was wearing a simple stark white gown, barefoot.

Hwayoung blinked her eyes innocently, when a soft chuckle came into her ears. She slowly rose her head, and then there was a man. He was breathtaking, really. His eyes were of a warm chocolate that you could just bask into, his pale skin seemed to shine because of the reflected light.

"Most of you would freak out when they are here," he smiled pitifully to her. 

Hwayoung gulped. Her illness was hers to keep. When she found out about it, she vowed that she would never spill it to the people that she loved. She knew she only had a few months to live.

"My name is Suho," he introduced. Hwayoung blinked again.

"Guardian," she whispered silently. Suho simply tilted his head. Hwayoung smiled sheepishly, her cheeks having a slight tinge of pink. "In Korean, it means Guardian, your name."

"Oh really?" he asked, interested. She nodded her head shyly. Suddenly, a sharp pain seemed to stab her heart.

She was dead. Gone. No longer there. Non-existent.

With a small yelp, she crouched down the ground, her tears silently weaving out. Suho felt his heart broke. Never- once in his life- he felt as compassionate to a person. She was, a frail, weak beauty, and he loved her because of it.

He silently crouched down, hesitating to hug her or not. But he finally gave in to his instincts. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, and to his surprise, she gave in, slowly returning his hug. A warm feeling swells up in his heart, and he finally knew what other Angels dreamed of-- love.

They were like that for several moments, embracing and acknowledging each other warmly. When her tears finally subsided, he wiped the remaining and smiled at her. She smiled back.

"We're in heaven." she whispered, not believing her own words.

He heartily laughed. "You're right," he ruffled her hair. "You're right."

"I've dreamed of you," she blurted out. "Your wings- they were ripped, and you were gazing to a valley, full of sorrow." And then she frowned. "You're the man of my dreams."

"It usually happens," he nodded solemnly. "If you are pure enough, if you truly accepted death, you will see your," he his breath, "Guardian Angel."

Her warm smile finally came back. "I've been waiting for you, my Guardian."

{enlightened_}