final
An Angel's Embrace
An angel's embrace
Dark, black clouds. Distant gunshots. A mother's screams. Doe eyes. A knife. Sharp agony. Pain, long torturing pain. Then it was over.
Jongin was drunk that day. His girlfriend had harshly dumped him an hour ago, and his only choice was to go to a bar and pour his heart out to the bartender. 1 hour and 10 bottles later, he was still going strong. The bartender's face crumpled with worry. Not of the customer's health, though, but whether or not he'll be able to pay for all the alcohol. Jongin glanced up, smiled, and sloshed around the liquid in his shot glass. "O-One more, ah-ahjusshi!" He slurred, and shakily held up his glass for the bartender to pour more alcohol in. Sighing, the bartender reluctantly dumped more liquor into Jongin's cup. 30 minutes later, Jongin was so drunk he wasn't able to walk. Crawling to the exit, he sleepily waved a goodbye, and left.
"100 b-bottles of. miilk on the waall," Jongin sang, then stopped, thinking of what came next. Tilting his head to the sky, he saw deep black clouds filling the sky.
-BANG- Jongin tilted his head to listen clearly. -BANG-
"W..what's goinggg onn?" Jongin wrinkled his eyebrows and continued walking.
"NOT MY CHILD!TAKE ME INSTEAD! SHOOT ME! SAVE HIM! PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU!" A metallic shriek cut through Jongin's mind.
"Wwhaat's happenin'? I gotta go save himmm," Jongin started to walk towards the noice, tripping over his feet every few steps.
"Ahjumma! I'm heereeeeeee," He slurred, coming into view of the scene.
"NO! Don't come here!" The lady tried to warn him, but he stubbornly burst in.
"Dunnn kill dem. Beee good," Jongin demanded, and shook his finger at the murderer.
"Be quiet," The hooded man said, and took out a knife. Leaping over to Jongin, he the knife into his chest, twisting it deep.
I'm dying... He thought vaguely, as he headed towards the sky, not filled with black clouds anymore.
~
Jongin peered into the darkness. He wasn't drunk anymore. The bottle in his hand was gone. The wound in his chest was erased, eradicated. Blinking slowly, Jongin started to take in his surroundings. A dark grey room, filled with a musty scent. He didn't like it, it smelled of death. Jongin sighed and tried to stand up, but found a chain around his leg. Raising his eyebrows, he pulled harder, but that made him shriek in agony because the chain was attached to a mechanism around his neck, shocking him slightly every time he tried to move. After a few minutes of trying with no success, Jongin gave in and collapsed on the floor. Perhaps in a few hours, this will all be gone and he'll be gone from this world...
~
His second wakeup was no less weird, and no less painful. He shot up from his position on the floor, his back aching from the stiffness of the boards. Scratching the back of his head, Jongin recollected his memories and was disappointed when he realized that nothing had changed. He was still a prisoner. A sound made him jump; a rough knock on the barely distinct door. Without waiting for his reply, the intruder grasped the handle and pushed open the door, blowing in a gust of cold air, making Jongin shiver.
"W-what do you want? Where am I? Why am I here?" Jongin shot, fixing his glare on the unwanted intruder.
"Shut up. We're here to help you, ungrateful brat," And with that sentence, he left the "food" on a table next to Jongin and left.
Peering at the bowl, Jongin poked about the meal, barely discerning what was what. It looked like grey guacamole, except much more watery. Grimacing, Jongin picked up his spork and dug it into the mush. Emerging with a spoonful of gunk, he shoved it into his mouth and winced. 'It wasn't too bad,' He thought, tilting his head to the side. Within a few minutes, the bowl was scraped clean and left alone on the table once again. Curling up in his previous position, Jongin drifted back to sleep, dreaming about his blissful life..
~
The third wakeup was something else though. He was shaken up by some burly guard with squished together eyebrows.
"When I say wake up, you wake up, damn it," He glared at Jongin and shook him some more.
With some effort, Jongin managed to wake up, and stared out his miniature window.
"Barely dawn," He muttered and turned to face the angry looking guard.
"You're wanted at head-- I mean, the conference room," The guard explained and threw some clothes at Jongin, who groggily caught them and began changing immediately.
"Okay.." Jongin mumbled and after he changed, he waited for the guard to undo his locks. Complying, the guard bent down and freed Jongin who immediately jumped in relief.
"Stop cheering and follow me," The guard instructed, turning sharply and disappearing down a hallway, Jongin barely managing to keep up. After two flights of stairs and fifty hallways later, they arrived at a red padlocked door, humming with activity. The guard fetched a key from his thick overcoat and unlocked all the padlocks, ushering Jongin inside. Stepping gently into the room, Jongin's eyes immediately roamed about, noticing the marble pillars and the thick, plush carpet that started two feet away from the door. Jongin decided he was supposed to take off his slippers, and discarded them in the square of wood flooring. He then ventured into the room, seeing a stout little woman perched on a stool that was twice her height. Once she saw him, she smiled brightly and pointed to a wooden chair across from her. Reluctantly complying, Jongin plopped down on the chair and stared at the woman.
"What do you want from me?" He demanded, and raised his eyebrows.
"I should be asking you the same thing, child. We're here to help you. We don't want to harm you in any way, rest assured," The woman smiled, and her pearly whites shone through, piercing Jongin's shield of untrust.
"Help me? Isn't that too late? I'm already dead," He muttered, and wringed his hands together.
The woman laughed, the sound rebounding across the silver room, sounding like several bells being hit at the same time.
"No, child. You are just beginning your journey. You see, you have regrets in life. We cannot let you die with regrets. It is against our moral intuitions. So therefore, we'll give you a second chance at your biggest regret. I'm guessing you know what that is already," The woman explained, with elaborate hand gestures. Jongin's mind flashed. His biggest regret? "Sohee," He mumbled, eyes dark with mourning.
The woman just smiled wider and went on with explaining. "Yes, exactly. We will give you a second chance to get her back. There will be a time limit, of course. We aren't that lenient. The time limit is one month. Nothing over that, for sure. Once you are satisfied, then you may call out to us, and we will bring you back. This is the "regrets" center. Once you pass this, you may move onto wherever you belong," The lady's smile was charming, it made Jongin trust her more and more. By now, Jongin was leaning forward in his seat, looking forward to every opportunity that would make Sohee be his again.
"I agree," Jongin said automatically, and blinked a few times, surprised that he would say that out loud. The woman just laughed and nodded, "I thought you would."
The woman handed Jongin a vial full of pearly blue liquid. "This will make you go back in time, to a time where you can save your relationship with Sohee then end it nicely," She smiled again and patted him on the shoulder, "I know you'll do great, make me proud."
"Just a question," Jongin glanced up at the woman, "Are you, perhaps, an angel?"
The woman just laughed, not offering an explanation, "You'll have to find that out for yourself, child." Jongin slowly nodded and stood up. He bowed his head slightly and headed back with the guard to his room. Once he was there, he spent hours pondering over the possibilities of what might happen. "What if it's a trick and she just wants to kill me? What if it doesn't work and I lose the chance forever? What if I go back, and I can't save my relationship?" Jongin thought, running his hand through his hair in frustration. In the end, he gave up, and tipped his head back. "Hell, I don't care. I just want Sohee back," He said and downed the liquid in a second. Gasping, his hand flew to his throat as he found himself choking. "This is it..."
~
A flurry of leaves. A girl's melodic laughter boomed around him. The soft breeze tugging at his shirt. Soft eyelashes, brushing against his cheek. A butterfly on her nose.
"I'm back..." He thought, internally smiling at the sight which unfolded around him. It was a warm autumn afternoon, and he was on a picnic with Sohee. She was laughing at a joke he just said, and she was literally doubling over in laughter. Losing himself in the moment, Jongin smiled and said, "Yah, your abs will be better than mine if you keep laughing."
Sohee just laughed harder and managed to catch her breath to deliver one sentence, "Nothing is better than your abs..." She tentatively poked his abs through his thin v-neck shirt. Then she went back to laughing hysterically, leaving Jongin breathless. Her every touch drove him crazy. Hell, she drove him crazy. "Damn I missed her..." He thought and ran his hand through his hair.
"Yah, Sohee-ah. We haven't even touched our food yet!" Jongin complained and pointed towards the wicker-basket. Sohee just mehronged and continued laughing.
"Fine. If you keep laughing, then I'll... leave," Jongin playfully threatened, poking her on the forehead. Slightly shooken up, Sohee sat up and tried to put on a serious face.
"Yah! Don't leave~ It's our second year anniversary date!" She pouted, and Jongin knew he couldn't resist. Sighing, Jongin adjusted his v-neck and opened the wicker basket, pulling out two perfect sandwiches. He handed one to Sohee then started munching on the other. He couldn't resist grinning at the familiar taste of Sohee's homemade cooking. "Aish, I really do love this girl.." He thought, and chuckled to himself.
~
Before Jongin could blink, a week had already passed. One blissful week. He didn't understand the mistake he made. Why would he ever want to hurt his Sohee? He wanted to be extra careful though, he wanted to keep her for sure this time. As the time passed, they had their fair share of small quarrels, but it never evolved to something beyond yelling. One day, though, as the leaves were beginning to tumble down outside, Jongin blew up. Sohee always had the habit of getting angry over the littlest of details. For example, Jongin not replacing the toilet paper, or Jongin forgetting to take the mail inside. Well, Jongin finally had enough. Raising his voice way beyond their normal limit, he slammed his palm on the coffee table with fury strong in his eyes. Jongin knew he shouldn't yell at her, but Sohee had to learn her lesson. A few minutes of shouting later, she burst out crying. Shocked, Jongin immediately felt bad, and rushed forward to brush the tears out of her eyes, but Sohee just batted him away and dashed to her room, slamming the door. When he heard the door lock, Jongin collapsed to the floor, his head in his arms.
"Why do I always ruin it? Why do I torture the girl I love?" He murmured, glancing at Sohee's door with fierce regret.
~
When Jongin finally got the courage to knock on her door, he apologized over and over again, nearly begging for forgiveness. Sohee, who had a natural weakness for apologies, accepted him back, and eventually warmed up again. Life was sweet for another week or so. Jongin began to enjoy and cherish the last days he would spend with Sohee. When the last day crawled over, he sighed and painfully smiled. He wouldn't ruin this, no, he couldn't risk anything. Jongin tilted his head and adjusted his polo. Just one more day until eternal happiness, he could make it without regrets. As he stepped out of the door cheerfully, Sohee crashed into him, her hair and makeup messy. She glanced up at him with teary eyes, begging him to explain.
"Sohee-ah? What is it?" He asked curiously.
"You idiot. Why did I trust you.." She slammed her fists repeatedly into his chest, tears streaming down her face, "Two years, Jongin, I've held on for two years. Then I discover this!" Sohee shoved a rumpled letter into his arms, Jongin struggling to catch it. Glancing worriedly at Sohee, Jongin opened the envelope and saw the letter from three years ago, from his ex-girlfriend. It said:
"Baby, I still love you.
Accept me please?
I want you back, so badly.
I can't live without you.
I know you love me.
I know you don't love that you hang around with.
I know you're just using her as an excuse from me.
Take me back, I know you want to."
Jongin sighed, and opened his mouth to explain, but Sohee cut him off. "You never loved me? You thought it was all a joke? A ? Is that all I am to you?!" Sohee screamed and, eyes red with fury, slapped Jongin on the cheek. He was extremely surprised with this gesture, and all the words he was going to say suddenly slipped out of his mind. "Listen, Sohee.. Don't jump to conclusions," He tried to persuade, but Sohee tore off in the opposite direction, towards the main door. She didn't even take her cell phone, just furiously stormed out.
Jongin sighed, and collapsed to his knees. "How does she not see the date on the top," He wondered, and thought, "Maybe she still doesn't trust me enough. Does she honestly think I'll cheat on her after two years?!" He let out an extended sigh and stood up, grabbing his fall coat.
"I should probably go after her..." He muttered and headed out the door. The cold wind sliced through his confidence, making him fall to accusations. "What if she never forgives me? What if I fail at getting her back? What if she doesn't like me anymore?" The thoughts flashed over and over, destroying all the self-esteem he ever had. Picking up the scraps of his courage, he started in a sprint to the park, the most possible place Sohee would be at. The problem was, the park was huge. It took him nearly three hours to search throughout the entire house, and still no success. Heavily out of breath, he leaned against a hot dog counter and attempted to catch his breath. The ahjusshi behind the stand ignored his presence and continued selling meals. By the time he thought of another place, it was already 7 o'clock. His eyes widened when he glanced at his watch, but Jongin stubbornly headed to the Han River. Their first date, their best date, possibly. Full of good and bad memories, Sohee would probably be here. Jongin jogged up to the dock and spotted a distant figure running in the opposite direction. Jongin cupped his hands near his mouth and shouted, "SOHEE. LISTEN TO ME BEFORE YOU JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS." The figure hesitated, but did not turn around. "DO YOU HAVE THAT LITTLE TRUST IN ME?" The figure hesitated again, and Jongin saw the smallest of movements. Then she sprinted away, and disappeared from his view again. He shot a glance at his watch again, 10 o'clock already. Only four more hours, then he had to let go of Sohee forever. He couldn't leave without mending his relationship with Sohee. Jongin would chase after her, except he would probably catch a cold if he did. He had abandoned his coat at the park when he was sprinting without breaks, and he thought he would die if he kept the coat on, so he ditched it. Leaning against the edge of the dock, Jongin only wore a white v-neck and skinny jeans. His sneakers were no doubt already broken from a whole day of chasing after Sohee. He was tired, that was for sure.
When he finally got his breath back, Jongin started jogging again in the direction Sohee headed. He hoped this chase would be over soon, because he needed to explain and get her back before the hour struck midnight. The sky was already getting darker, stars filling in the dark spaces. After a few more minutes of running, Jongin collapsed on the riverside, completely worn out.
"Is this how it'll end? I bet she'll regret not listening to me..." Jongin chuckled, and placed the back of his hand on his forehead, fingers splayed out. The time was nearing midnight, possibly a few minutes left. Jongin sighed in surrender and slowly shut his eyes.
"So much regrets..." He whispered into the cold night air. He felt his words being carried away, possibly to Sohee. With a sad chuckle, Jongin sat up and waited for the time to come. The time when he would have to leave this world, permanently this time. Time crawled away, as slow as a snail on steroids. Finally, as the clock chimed out 12 times at midnight, he took a deep breath and readied himself.
Exactly as the last chime sounded, he was swept out of the world and back into the silver room with the woman peering at him from across the room.
"I suppose you didn't accomplish your goal..." She said softly, and started to walk towards him, "It's okay, it doesn't mean anything bad... usually." She gave a light chuckle and patted him on the shoulder. "You did a good job, you sincerely put in all you could to save your relationship," the lady smiled sadly and moved towards her stool.
"Do I have to leave now?" Jongin asked, glancing up at her.
The lady nodded solemnly and pointed towards a grey door, in a place where Jongin had never noticed before.
"I'm afraid you do. That's where you must go," She nodded slightly and ushered him to the door. Giving him a reassuring smile, she lightly pushed him through, then waved while he disappeared through the hole.
Jongin fell for minutes, possibly hours. He extended his arm, staring at his fingers, just thinking about his life. What could he have changed? What should he have kept? With a sigh, Jongin fell onto a soft, feathery mattress. Surprised he was still alive, Jongin stood up and started walking towards the only exit possible, a pearly white door. Pushing open the door, he blinked at the sight. A light grassland, filled with wild flowers, blooming ever which way.
"Is this heaven?" He wondered aloud, looking up at the sky and finding nothing.
"No, but it is where you belong," A voice piped up from his side. Swiveling, Jongin found himself face-to-face with ... Sohee. Her light brown waves tumbled down her shoulder blades, teasing him to touch it. Her dimples shone as she flashed him a smile. Jongin blinked several times and rubbed his eyes.
"S-sohee?" He ventured, looking at her with unsure eyes.
"No, in here, I'm referred to as Angel," She said breezily, offering him a lopsided smile.
Jongin chuckled, maybe he did have his heaven after all. After all, heaven is wherever Sohee is.
On a whim of the moment, Sohee, or Angel, rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him close.
"I'm sorry, and, thank you," She whispered, burying her face in Jongin's tough abs.
Jongin smiled, as he found himself once again, in Sohee, or Angel's embrace.
AUTHOR'S NOTES; lub you all <3 first oneshot OTL whaddaya think? comment prease? i live for 'em. i didn't want to make the time pass so quickly but i had to speed it up.. it is a oneshot after all c': omgah OTL sorreh for the supaahh weird ending. i just needed to wrap it up ;; forgive mehh? >~< well, hope you enjoyed and check out my other ffs c:
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