Amabilis (from Latin) - sweet, lovable

ser•aph (ˈsɛr əf) 

n., pl. -aphs, -a•phim (-ə fɪm)

Seven billion people lived on planet Earth, each molded in a different way, possessing a uniqueness that no one else had. They were all gifted with the light of the heavens, blessed by God and kissed by angels and yet as time went by, the balance was altered. When Heaven and Earth lived in harmony, it was all peace and quiet but humans found it boring, felt controlled and betrayed the placed upon them. Conspiring with angels, they erased each other from existence, lied and pillaged. The anarchy of Eden scarred the archangels and seraphim, fear for the new beast that mankind was rooted into the creatures and they sough God for aid. And he purified. Heaven and Earth were separated; and deep under, the corrupt angels were sent to suffer with those who had lost their humanity. Mankind had no memory of life in Eden and had to learn again what they had lost. It all started anew. For thousands of years the Heavens watched as the banished stood up on their legs again and returned to former glory, ruling over flora and fauna. Still being spirits emerging of light, it was no surprise to the creator that they would thrive and overcome the difficulties he had put before them. Once more he was proud. But the archangels and seraphim, protectors of the throne noticed the speck of malice still existed in the human heart and refused to reverse history. Instead they protected and watched over the pure and innocent and tried to purge the evil in those that had embraced it. Rarely, though, did the corrupt convert back. Believing in a higher power was no longer first priority to modern society. In a world of capitalism, what mattered most was the well-being of the individual. Of course that created more conflict; both on Earth and above. More angels were banished, amongst them once an Archangel-Lucifer, who challenged God and had planted ideas of chaos in the heads of the naïve creatures below, causing wars and death for his own amusement. After him is when civilization changed. Purity and grace never lasted long.

The year was 2013, accounted by human standards and society was constantly changing. Destruction, hate and suffering were still a major part of the circle of life but now people had gotten used to it and didn’t pay it much attention. As long as it wasn’t happening to them directly, it didn’t matter. The disgusting truth saw the celestial beings in a dilemma, whether they should be relieved or anguished by this grotesque disregarding. While in one part of a country some survived in absolute poverty in another their fellows languished in splendor. After all the rebellions for independence, equality and human rights, this is where all ends met. Even the angels wanted to abandon the pour souls that were rejected even by their own kind; for the celestial being it was too much to bear. If only those freedom fighters knew what real misery was…Even the chaste spirit of children was being sold away in this modern world. Babies trafficked away from their mothers, who never had rights of their own. That wasn’t even the most repulsive bit. Violence and ersion was the new trend among the young and the previous innocence that the Heavens awed at, had long since disappeared. The angels kept searching and hoping that perhaps one day the perfect human being would return again.

One particular group of seraphs had always observed the happenings in the continent of Asia. Eleven of them followed restlessly the fall of dynasties and kings, of regimes and ideologies to find a liking to how the humans lived here. They were hard-working, perhaps more than their equals elsewhere. Of course the struggle for power and success had not spared them as well but compared to the stories other seraphs were telling, these eleven had less to report. The angels were still in pain but had more trust in the human race. When they gathered every time and picked out examples of selflessness and piety, their being became a little lighter and memories of the past Eden emerged when the two worlds were whole. The eleven seraphs, protectors of the throne, often reminisced, thinking how it would be like to unite again; what would happen if humanity got a guide, someone with no desire to harm and to only wish for happiness. It seemed like a dream, a beautiful illusion that the angels’ wishful consideration had locked upon. Until one day they found him…

When two of the seraphs first started gazing at the creature they were impressed. It had been a while since a human with so little desire for power and individual benefit had caught their eye. He was small, fragile looking and so pale, his skin was almost like a drape of moonlight. But in comparison to the eerie complexion, the boy had a cheerful personality and carried a warm kindness in his heart that gleamed in his big eyes.  If they hadn’t looked closely they wouldn’t have noticed the enormous, dazzling spirit trapped in the petite body. One by one the other 9 seraphim joined as well, focusing on the country of Korea, each one being surprised by the boy’s dedication and charitable nature.

“His name…did you find out his name?”-one of them asked

“Do Kyungsoo…”-was the answer

Kyungsoo was maturing. The angels trailed behind him through high school, as he topped his class, showing an intellect many envied and cursed him for. Even when he was bullied or picked on, the boy never developed hatred and dislike for his classmates. He accepted it as a way for them for them to relieve the stress and pressure of Korean society. It was okay for him to get pushed around, suffer and cry if that would make his fellows less likely to resolve to other methods for escape. He knew as students grew older and neared their exams how fast suicide rates jumped and wanted to do everything to prevent thing like that happening. Kyungsoo loved his classmates, loved his teachers and tutors and hoped, prayed for them to not succumb to small trickery or desperation. When he could, he was always in the school, helping those who fell behind and were unable to cope with their studies. In the end when you treat people with respect, you would get respect back. Usually the little time he had for himself, the boy spent in silence, blissfully reading or lying down in a daze; his imagination building magical worlds and possible futures. Even though Do Kyungsoo was really studious, his dream was to become a singer. Every night he sat alone in his room, playing song after song, his voice threading around the melody and forming a sound so beautiful that even the angels held on their breaths, stunned. But he was ready to give up on that to ensure the safety and stability of his family. Because his mother was sickly and stayed at home, and his younger brother was still in middle school, it was only up to his dad to provide for a family of four. Even though his father blessed the boy’s decision to study music, Kyungsoo refused and instead chose medicine. The summer before he entered Y University, Kyungsoo worked everyday until exhaustion. Be it part-time jobs, or volunteering at orphanages, or even reading anatomy books in preparation for his degree, not one minute went to waste. His brother jokes around with him, spending a summer and leisure. The two of them were really close; Kyungsoo was always there to support his younger sibling, even tutoring him for exams and projects. If their parents couldn’t make it to competitions and school events, the older brother was always there to support. That is why Kyungsoo was weird, his brother thought. Moral obligations meant too much to the young medical student and in the future they would only break him. The younger boy never said anything to his older brother, though, in fear he would ruin the Samaritan mindset.  It had been a while now that the angels up in Heaven had lost interesting in anything else but the young man. Restlessly they awaited his next feat, his next resonating song or warm word. To them this creature was far beyond human, far beyond themselves even. He had become the beacon of light they hoped to find.

Finally, the end of his first week as a medical student was nearing its end. Since Y University was one of the most prestigious in Korea, the professors were wearing off their fresh additions to exhaustion. Just in the first five days, Kyungsoo had two practicals, four lectures and a twenty page paper to read on locomotive anatomy. To be honest Kyungsoo enjoyed the workload and was glad that the professors would want them to learn fast and be engaged with their work. As a doctor later in life, none of them would get to slack off and postpone responsibilities. While his fellow colleagues growled with contempt and cried out about how they weren’t sleeping enough, Kyungsoo just organized his time to make sure he had paid enough attention to all of his engagements. Sure, he didn’t have much opportunity to go out and go party like other freshers did but that wasn’t of utmost importance. He had come here to learn and become a responsible adult and if that would involve meager sacrifices he was ready. The sky was clear tonight as he was walking back to his dorm, humming a lullaby. It was quiet, since the welcoming fresher’s party was this weekend and it wouldn’t be another 4-5 hours until drunken students would start coming back. Kyungsoo kept staring melancholically into the black windows of the unlit kitchens and thought to himself he might end up having a early night. Head still in the clouds he didn’t realize there was someone walking towards him, and before the two knew they had collapsed into each other, Kyungsoo almost losing his balance. The other person was holding onto his elbow, securing the small male into place.

“I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you? That was really rude of me, forgive me, I wasn’t looking and…”

Kyungsoo heard an amused chuckle from the other and finally looked up, eyes wide with surprise. Looking down at him were two playfully sparkling eyes, perched on a very handsome face. The stranger seemed more glad than annoyed with their interaction and as he took Kyungsoo hands in his, the shortie’s confusion grew further.

“To meet you in person…what an honor…Don’t apologize, I wanted us to meet.”

As Kyungsoo questioningly raised his eyebrows the angel realized that his words probably sounded very suspicious to someone he had never met before, so he nodded his head and shook the other’s hand.

“How disrespectful of me; my name is Kim Jongin, or Kai if you prefer. I just moved in to the room next to yours.”

“How do you…”

“I saw you going out this morning as I was moving in. You didn’t see me probably, being in a rush and all.”-Jongin smiled widely at him-“Come upstairs, there are lots of new people that moved in on our corridor. They all seem pretty decent guys.”

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to say something but was dragged by his very audacious new neighbor, who refused to let go. Despite the forceful intrusion, the strange boy had an aura of honesty about him, which Kyungsoo trusted. His tension slowly dissipated as the two of them entered a relatively empty, foreign dorm room. There were four boys sitting around on the furniture and floor, all of them in high spirits, loudly discussing their time table for next week. All of them jumped up to greet him, introducing themselves with little unique quirks to show off their personality.

“Kim Joonmyeon, it’s truly a pleasure. You could call me Suho as well, I wouldn’t mind.”-said the first boy, whose face shone so brightly and happily, Kyungsoo thought he might get blinded. He had a very Gangnam accent and was clearly from a wealthy family but judging from his clothes and bearings, Joonmyeon was more modest than anything.

The next boy told Kyungsoo in a prickly Chinese accent that he was Huang Zitao and was not only brains but brawn as well, wanting to show the other martial arts tricks and wushu. From the way he talked and looked around excitedly at everyone, Kyungsoo could say it would be fun to be friends with such a person and he couldn’t help but grin when the boy hugged and shook him hard. Next to him was another Chinese, who introduced himself as Tao’s best friend Lu Han. He was older than everyone else in this room but looked significantly younger Kyungsoo discovered. His demeanor was peaceful and for a moment Kyungsoo thought he could see stars in his eyes before he got turned away by the unknown person, who towered awkwardly over the rest. Kyungsoo had never seen such a toothy smile in his life before. It was warm, like a child’s. And even though Park Chanyeol didn’t seem like a smiley, cheerful figure, right now, before our stunned medical student, he was joy personified.

“So you are my new neighbors? All of you?”

They nodded.

“My god, I did not realize how empty this corridor was before.”-Kyungsoo ran fingers through his hair in bedazzlement.

Like that, his early night went down the drain. The six of them talked through the noise of residents coming back to their flats, through the after party on the floor below and the loud singing. A new fellowship had formed, one that would stay strong through the years of University student life, Kyungsoo though. These could be his new friends. When birds stared chirping outside and all of them were yawning more than speaking, Chanyeol proposed they go to bed.

“Sorry, guys, we’ve been talking for so long and I still don’t know what degrees your doing. I’m in medicine if anyone’s interested.”-the shortie beamed at the rest, which shared satisfied glances and answered together

“Medicine.”

“Really, all of you?”

Enthusiastic nodding followed and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but laugh at the coincidence. If this wasn’t fate then he didn’t know what could be. When he offered to walk them through what they wised during the first week, Kyungsoo was showered with cheers and backrubs. This was going to be a fantastic year, spent in good company, he thought.

The next day, when he brought his notes over to Joonmyeon room it had transformed significantly, having potted plants at the window, heavy tomes of book on the shelves and the bed was covered by a burgundy cover that looked very luxurious. Suho was sitting with Luhan on the bed, hesitantly typing on a laptop.

“Do I click on that icon over there now?”

“It does say ‘save’.”

The two sounded like they had never used a computer in their life before but before Kyungsoo could question them, he felt an arm drape over his shoulder and Kai’s minty breath glazed his cheek.

“Good morning, buddy.”

Goosebumps covered the other’s skin at the close proximity but he didn’t shake Jongin off, instead he politely greeted back and looked in the other way to see a sleepy Chanyeol and Zitao enter as well after them.

“Living sure is a lot more difficult than I thought.”-Tao was saying to his friend as they slumped on the floor.

“It’s been only a day…but I think I understand why people always complain about being tired.”-Chanyeol agreed and looked up at Kai and Kyungsoo-“Are we doing some studying or what?”

Soon Kyungsoo noticed that some of his new friends were much more enthusiastic about reading than others. Joonmyeon, Luhan and Chanyeol were in the information like sponges while Zitao and Jongin seemed to spend more time staring at Kyungsoo. For a while he though he had something on his face and they were too nice to tell him but when he went to the bathroom there was nothing. He wondered what was so intriguing about him that the two were so infatuated. Even though it was Saturday, there were still things Kyungsoo had to do; today was one of the only days he could enjoy some time with his hobby. The dream from the past-music, had turned into a hobby during the summer vacation, which he practiced fervently. Dropping the rest of his notes with the five boys, he excused himself sheepishly and apologized for the leave. They all looked very disappointed but nevertheless saw Kyungsoo off smiling. In a hurry young Do threw a water bottle and his wallet in a backpack and ran out to catch the bus. Still, he was going to be later than usual but the teacher didn’t mind, neither did his friends, who went there. Throughout the journey Kyungsoo had a feeling that something would be different today.

The usual faces had gathered around Ms Yang and were getting separated to the different recording studios depending on their arrangements. Knowing where he was supposed to go already, the late arrival dropped his bag, greeted the teachers and took the usual sheet folder. His heart sped up when the soundproof walls of the studio surrounded him. This was where Kyungsoo felt free, like a bird in flight, where there were no academic pressures and he could just transverse to a higher level. Somehow, the room felt fuller than usual. An unfamiliar head bounced before him and Kyungsoo gaped in surprise. It was a boy shorter than him; not by much, but still not at the level of his eyes. Even without being puffed, the boy’s cheeks were soft and bubbly and he looked like an excited child. But that person’s sharp eye gave away that he was much older than one would think. With one glance over his shoulder, the shorter boy noticed Kyungsoo and dropped his folder on the ground. For a good minute he stared at the medical student and then extended a hand politely, bowing.

“We haven’t met before. My name is Kim Minseok and I will be singing with you from now on. Let’s be friends!”

Taking the hand energetically Kyungsoo shook it and then Minseok’s grip on him tightened, eyes tracing the other with awe.

“Wah…you really are beautiful.”

Being taken aback, Kyungsoo stuttered, his hand sweating in Minseok’s. Once again he was being swept off his feet and ended up with new, unknown people. They whispered during the warming up voice exercises that their names were Byun Baekhyun and Zhang Yixing. Also when the teacher invited another new student to the front for special introductions, Minseok pointed out that person, Kim Jongdae, was also part of their little gang; praising him to be a voice that led some of the best choruses in Korea. The said boy came to join the four, shaking Kyungsoo’s hand in the process. He could hear their voices elevate around him. All of them were really good singers. For the chorus it was great news that they were getting talented musicians like them. It had been Mr Lee’s desire for quite a while to go to competitions and win and perhaps this swelling of the membership was the biggest opportunity. After their individual singing with a teacher, Kyungsoo was cornered by Baekhyun and Jongdae and together hey met with the other two to go for popsicles. Despite it being September the weather was quite hot so Kyungsoo accepted the offer and in fifteen minutes they were sitting on the grass in a nearby park enjoying fruit flavored ice.

“The sky looks so fascinating from down here…”-Yixing had comfortably lied down, head on Minseok’s lap-“Kyungsoo, have you ever wondered what it’s like up there?”

“In space?”

Yixing laughed and pinched the medical student’s leg.

“In Heaven, silly. You already know what space is like.”

“You’re right, I guess.”-the shortie chuckled and followed the Chinese boy’s eyes to the sky-“I suppose it’s a really nice, bright place, where people get a chance to meet their loved ones again. That’s what everyone says at least. I could only hope that one day I’ll get a pass for there as well.”

Baekhyun and Jongdae shared a mysterious look and both pressed their shoulders to Kyungsoo’s. The topic changed. It was all about music and life. Kyungsoo was amazed that his four colleagues were all musicians and had followed their dreams despite the difficulties. Through their stories, the small medical student could imagine what his life would have been like if he also took this path. A brief ping of sadness darkened his face but when Baekhyun praised his vocal range, he puckered up again, smiling in gratitude. They sat like that for a while, enjoying each other’s company.

“This weekend has been really eventful for me.”-Kyungsoo started as they were preparing to leave-“I’ve been meeting many new, interesting people. Maybe I should be thanking God for my fellowship, huh?”

Four grins followed that comment but Kyungsoo never noticed.

Later that night, while reading through his thick anatomy book, Kyungsoo received an uninvited guest that held a box of chocolates. Jongin had come to thank him for the help and without even being offered seated himself right next to the other. Despite being a genius that had entered medical college at the frail age of 18, Kai seemed more the type to get a girlfriend and go out partying that lock himself in like Kyungsoo and study. But here he was instead, engulfed by the chapter before him, nodding at the highlighted by the other words. He hadn’t bought the book yet, so Kyungsoo didn’t mind sharing and having Jongin mouth the words in sync with the finger that moved on the page. Kai sighed heavily when they finished the chapter and rested head on the desk. Quietly he stared at his fingers, flexing and extending the tendons to note how they moved. Then looking straight as Kyungsoo’s smaller hand, he reached and wrapped it in his own. Do’s first instinct was to pull away but Jongin’s grip was not letting him. As the other’s thumb circled over his palm, looking how the muscle gave in and swelled up again, he gave out small gasps of amazement. Their fingers lingered onto each other, making Kyungsoo’s hands sweaty with embarrassment. He was flushed. Even if they were both guys, this was a weird moment. Kyungsoo didn’t know what was going on through Jongin’s head as he was inspecting every crease and wrinkle on their skin. Feeling like he would ruin a precious moment for the younger, Kyungsoo didn’t say anything and instead waited till Kai was satisfied and ready to leave. He stood up as if nothing had happened, smiled and said he’d come back tomorrow with Tao. They wouldn’t talk about what had happened for a while, not until Kai had realized what the gesture meant.

Kai and Tao were more outgoing than the others. The two even managed to get Kyungsoo outside to play basketball, which he terribly at. Despite his lack of ability, his friends encouraged and cheered for him every time he attempted a shot. They played, ate together and then studied. Tao surprised Kyungsoo by correctly answering every question from the paper that they had and the shortie struck off his first impression of Tao as a slacker. Kyungsoo quite liked working with others but Zitao and Jongin brought it to a new level, making a game which later on all six of them took part in. Once again, letting time slip by, Kyungsoo completely forgot that there was a practical tomorrow. If Joonmyeon didn’t remind them, they would have kept talking till morning.

When he woke up, Kyungsoo found out that Joonmyeon and Chanyeol were in his group for the early practical. While the Gangnam boy looked eager and fresh in the morning, one could only judge by the grim expression on the tall male’s face that he wasn’t a morning person. Being twenty minutes away from the main campus allowed them to fully awake, as the chilly, morning air brought out the redness of their cheeks. Suho started a heated discussion about the use of body parts for science, which both friends were keen to join in. Kyungsoo hadn’t realized that he had been smiling more often since he arrived at University and met with his neighbors but they sure saw the change. After all they had been watching over him for a long while. The disguised angels were quivering with delight as well as Kyungsoo excitedly raised his voice or swung hands. Being this close was already a rewarding experience for them. Kyungsoo had gotten used to them knocking on his door in the middle of the night just to check how he was doing. They cared, and that made him all warm and fuzzy inside. Thursday was the least busy day of the week and also the day when the short medical student went to visit the “Songbird” orphanage where he had been volunteering during the summer. When he first signed up as a teacher there, the ladies that worked there welcomed him with open arms. For them, having someone to help out was greatly appreciated and in the summer Kyungsoo was with the children always after he finished his job. He loved kids and they returned the feeling wholeheartedly. When he was around them, bringing his old books over and teaching them to read, Kyungsoo felt like he was achieving something in life. Children were one of the reasons he took up medicine. At the lobby Mrs Yoon cheerfully called out his name and came to hug him, helping the student with the box of cakes he’d bought for his young pupils.

“You missed it but this Friday we had new volunteers come over. Two very handsome young men, just like you.”-the headmistress looked pleased-“Now you won’t be surrounded only by old women and children anymore. I hope you three can be friends. The children would be so happy to have three older brothers play with them.”

Kyungsoo was surprised. New volunteers rarely came to small, government-owned institutions like this. Before him, there was a girl that helped out but she left to do her PhD. From the common room loud laughter echoed and small feet stomped on the ground, chasing after someone. When the Mrs Yoon and Kyungsoo entered, they witnessed most of the kids piling on top of a body, tickling and laughing at the fallen. Just as they thought they had gotten away, the young man stood up, two kids hanging from his shoulders and roared, trying to mimic a dragon. Another explosion of giggles followed and the kids dispersed again. As they went away into hiding, his attention was drawn by the two people at the door. His eyebrows arched in surprise and he walked slowly towards them. Kyungsoo would say he was as tall as Chanyeol and Tao, maybe a little shorter; his face was mostly blank with the exception of a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. When he stood opposite Kyungsoo, he tilted his head, blonde hair dropping to the side and offered his hand.

“Oh Sehun, freelance writer and younger than you.”

“What..?”

“I’m 18.”

Kyungsoo gaped in surprise. This person was making no sense.

“And your name?”

“Ah, sorry, Do Kyungsoo. Nice to meet you.”

Sehun nodded and backed away into the play room, throwing glances at the new arrival from time to time. It had become awfully quiet since the children had disappeared somewhere.

“You told me there were two volunteers? Is the other one in today?”-Kyungsoo turned to the headmistress, who nodded and pointed at the back of the room, which lead to a corridor-“Watch him appear covered by my little monkeys.”

And just as she said that, a really tall figure wound into the room, with a little boy on his shoulders and a girl in his arms, running away from a pack of children with animal masks.

“They were reading ‘The Jungle Book’. I can’t believe these two actually bought masks to make it more interesting. It’s quite fun to watch, really. Sehun was Akela, the wolf and Kris-Bagheera, the Black Panther. It suites them quite well actually, don’t you think?”

Kyungsoo stared intently at the taller of the two. If not for the wide, gummy grin and the beaming eyes, the student would have thought this guy was intimidating, owing to the thick eyebrows that framed his face and his sharp features. When he handed the girl to the still in role ‘Akela’, he twirled around, picked the boy off his shoulders and left the youngster amongst the others. Sehun whispered something in his ear and the one the headmistress named ‘Kris’ approached with a smile that softened the power of his demeanor.

“So this is Do Kyungsoo?”

“Yes…”

“You’re a medical student, right?”

“How do you know?”

“I can tell by the cuts on your fingers.”-Kris took the other's hand and gently rubbed the scratches. He laughed when Kyungsoo pulled away-“Still not steady with the scalpel.”

“Oh, Kris, don’t bully him.”-Mrs Yoon slapped the tall male lightly on the arm-“Kyungsoo, dear, I told them you were a first year doctor in training. Our young lawyer here tried to push it off as being observant.”

“Don’t ruin the fun, Mrs Yoon.”-Kris groaned and his eyes burned holes through Kyungsoo, absorbing the quirks of the other’s movements and behavior. The medical student felt weak and helpless before the giant towering above him. But as this law student extended his hand and charmingly winked, Kyungsoo felt his heart stutter just a little.

“Wu Yifan, or Kris as you’ve already heard. Don’t hesitate, I won’t bite…much.”

The headmistress slapped him again, giggling this time and left them to look after the children while dinner was getting ready.

Out of curiosity Kyungsoo asked how Yifan found time to volunteer when as a law student he probably had a pretty busy schedule but the other simply shrugged and said there was always time to do a charitable deed. Sehun nodded in agreement and Kyungsoo didn’t question any further. The two new volunteers were more insistent when it came to Kyungsoo though. They ended up talking about dorm life and University fees and Sehun’s career as a blogger and small time thriller writer and editor. Both of them had some pretty fascinated life stories, which were sadly interrupted by the call for food.

“You got them too excited today”-Kyungsoo chuckled-“Now they’ll throw food everywhere and ask for seconds.”

“Hey, children are allowed the luxury of doing what they want.”-Kris answered as he got dragged by two girls in pigtails and red dresses-“Besides, they’ll get tired soon, so we’ll have more time to talk, yeah?”

Sehun rammed the taller male in the back and scorned him for slacking off because of Kyungsoo. Amused, the medical student woke up the one sleeping on the sofa boy and carefully walked with him behind the chaotic stampede. With every day his life was becoming more and more peculiar and he had no idea how much more complicated it would become in future. 

This was chapter one, quite massive, I know. The reason for this is I want to create a book experience with this fanfic, which means longer chapters and a more indepth plot (I hope). I am curious how the first chapter was for my readers. Did you like it? I appreciate the upvotes, subscribes and comments. Thank you :)