I missed on so many things that it was still hard to fully understand them.

I went that late November morning to visit the new old town neighborhood I knew nothing about. Who in the world thought that name was good to use? I mean, “old neighborhood that was new”? Haha... ha.

Ahem.

Upon arrival, I recognized the area. It was where my old apartment once was and it saddened me to see the building was crumbling under its own weight. Memories of carriers that came and destroyed my kitchen wall... OH GREAT, REALLY NOW, DID I HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT?!

I mumbled something under my breath. My hatred for reapers grew countless of times in a span of a few days. Well, three years... I mean, I missed three years. For me, it lasted only a second and the next moment I woke up in a hospital bed with Yuri and Daesung staring at me like I’m some kind of experiment ready to be brought to live. Yeah, I’m totally Frankenstein’s monster. Huzzah.

Images of a confused Daesung came flooding back. I involuntarily smiled. He was still the kid and I was still his grandma. I kept my laughter inside when I realized that I never covered the hole in my bedroom and that Daesung’s broom would have been useful against those carriers. It was too late. I could never return there. I wondered for the past month what they could build if they were going to tear the buildings down – maybe some kind of center that could help orphans or anything to be put to good use. I suddenly saw Halcyon Hotel with that annoying reaper. Ugh. I hope he got what he deserved.  It’s a pity that nobody taught him how to be a good reaper.

Hah! A good reaper! Even Jung Min had his sinister side and I never wished to see it.

I was kind of hungry, so I decided to return to what I called home these past weeks. December was right around the corner and from the recent snowfall, a heavy winter awaited. As I came closer to the deserted white road, I stopped in front of the gate and stared at Daesung cleaning the snow that blocked the front door that morning. I went inside the courtyard and smiled at the blonde. I could only see his crescent eyes because his whole face was wrapped with a scarf and a big hat. I recognized the scarf as the one I gave him when we took that trip... ARGH, THAT HOTEL AGAIN!

He waved at me and then continued to do his job. I would have stayed to help him, but I really wasn’t in the mood and knowing Daesung, it would have been useless. No matter how many times I tried, he yelled at me that I wasn’t healthy enough yet and should let him do all the hard work.

Well, he said it. Also, he became louder and that was my punishment for almost making me deaf.

Actually, I was going to wake up early in the morning anyway and take care of that if there was another snow storm coming that night.

As I discarded my outdoor clothes and shoes, I picked the smell of roasted beef.

Ohhh... so good. That’s what I call a homemade dinner.

Well, it was lunch.

Never mind.

The house wasn’t very big, but had a spacious kitchen connected with a living room through a bar. Upstairs, there were two small bedrooms – one that belonged to Yuri and one to Daesung. Or so I presumed. Yuri told me the first night I spent there that Daesung argued that the other bedroom should be mine and that he would only sleep on the couch or on the floor. His blanket and pillows were still there.

I yawned.

Alright, I was hungry and pretty tired.

I stared at Yuri cooking us a healthy meal and couldn’t help thinking that the mother role suited her perfectly. She’d been the Mistress of the house for three years, I’m sure she’ll continue to be many days to come. Just as my fingers were about to steal a piece of carrot, Yuri slapped them away.

“It’s not for you,” she mumbled and pointed with her head towards the living room. Only then I had seen that Jung Min came for a visit.

And he had a microphone in hand.

“What is he doing?” I asked the Priestess and she just continued chopping the carrots for a bland salad meant only to please Jung Min’s strange diet.

The man was shaking his hips in front of the screen and turned around a couple of times for no apparent reason.

“Too much karaoke,” Yuri finally answered me as she threw the carrot pieces in a bowl.

Jung Min saw me. He threw the microphone away and rushed to my side with a huge smile.

“Oh my goodness and my soul, isn’t my daughter beautiful!”

He crushed me in a tight embrace. I eyed Yuri.

“Too much T.V.,” she answered while pulling the reaper off me and handing his meal. Jung Min plopped one cut piece in his mouth and happily returned in front of the screen.

“What the heck have you been feeding him?”

Yuri smacked me.

---

The snowstorm came. Electricity was out, but it didn’t bother us one bit. Since all of us lived in periods where candles were the best thing to have during black nights, one such object glowed at the ground floor. I sighed while watching the show outside.

“Ne grandma,” Daesung sat near me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders. He kept his gaze fixed on the window “How are you feeling?”

“What do you think?” I snapped. Daesung laughed.

“I guess that’s good,” I looked at him suspiciously. Had those three years matured him? “Oh, oh, want to hear a story? It’s about a woman and this octopus...”

Noup. Didn’t mature at all.

“No,” he gave me a sad face and I shook my head.

“I wonder why Jung Min’s here...” he trailed off and I had to agree with him. For some reason, Jung Min came only when Daesung was away, so the only one that still knew a thing about him was Yuri. That’s why at the hospital, after I woke up, Daesung announced me that he had no idea where the reaper was because it was true. He really didn’t until Jung Min made his grand entrance.

But that wasn’t what puzzled me.

“Hey,” I took my courage and watched Daesung’s curious eyes fall over mine “How are they acting together?”

“Cold,” he replied right away and shrugged “But I guess it’s normal. He’s dead, she’s alive.”

“Weren’t you also dead?”

“Oi, grandma! I have a new body, don’t I?”

“So? You’re still half-dead as well.”

“Grandmaaa!”

I laughed and pinched his cheeks.

“Look at you! You’re such a cute ghost!”

“Graaandd---maaa!”

I stopped when I heard a loud noise coming from upstairs.

“Erm... you know, I joked with the ghost thing...”

Daesung got up and I followed him.

“It’s not a ghost,” he assured me... alright, that only freaked me more. I really don’t want to see another demon or fairy or whatever ever again.

Actually, I do, but... ah, I hate myself.

Yuri came down and gave us a quizzical look.

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear it?” I asked and she nodded.

“Don’t worry, it’s just Jung Min.”

“Eh?”

“He’s talking with another reaper.”

“Woah there,” that wasn’t good “There’s another reaper upstairs?”

Slow start for noooow~! Thank you everybody! <3