“He was your savior and yet, Young Angel. He was the reason your heart bleed and so you are dead inside, and every heartbeat is as frail as your breath, because they are desperately in searching”

“How karma works, is intriguing, isn’t?”

“We were wrong, please…”

♦⇔♦

He swept across the peachy skies, swooping into the fluffy clouds with his trusty wing, helping him soar into the skies. The cold air, slamming into his immortal skin felt nice and the speed had plugged out the entire clamor. That was his only escape.

“Oii! Hey, fast-track! Wait up” Chunji halted as his wing flared open, stopping his swift flight. The blonde haired angel turned back and as his wings flapped, the man scowled at the anonymous interruption. His lips were tightly bitten between his pearlies and as his slight fang peeked out, a figure finally appeared. “Hey smooth glider”

Chunji jeered as he pursed his glossy red lips, slightly tilting his head to make eye contact with a fellow angel who was a size smaller than he was. “Don’t do that. You’re too handsome to be so judgmental really” The smaller commented as his smaller wings flapped gracefully between the clouds. The taller’s pursed lips relaxed as a smile begins to wash over his serious face.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

He intended his words to be much sharper, but then it rolled out his mouth rather teasingly cute, making his guts trembled in flusters. “Ha-ha. Where are my manners, I’m Byung. Lee Byung Hun"

"But you can just call me Ljoe"

Ljoe had blue, navi-ish hair and that color somehow aggravated the blonde angel. Somehow it was too apparent to his conservative eyes while his face was rather naughty, bratty in fact.  The view of Ljoe mere breathing was such an unbearable tease. Chunji had figured that the latter was a snob that loves to annoy the types of angel who clearly wanted to be alone. And obviously, within that type, Chunji was the president of the club.

He despised interruptions.

But still, somehow, for some unknown annoying reason, a smile was bright on his face the moment their glowing eyes met.

“I like you, Chun Ji.”

“I liked you a lot.”

“And to bring him back, you must take back what has been lost” the witch lightly stirred the clear tea and spoke as her red, crimson lips curled into a slight smirk. Chunji ignored her and immediately snapped out of his trance, looking dead straight into the witch’s black eyes. “But I can’t reattach it, the wings. I thought all I needed was a life source?”

She paused, then slowly her fingers slid along the brim of the cup while her pitch, her pair of eerie eyes stared right back at the latter. “Yes, indeed. But what can you take, who can you take it from anyway? It’s a riddle, didn’t you like riddle?”

“I do. And I’d enjoy solving your ripped flesh back together once I finish you” the ceramic cup in his hands trembled and slowly, a low cracking sound echoed across the room. “Tell me what I need to do, and I’ll skip the part where you die,” she giggled “ha-ha what a tease”

“Gumiho.” Her eyes darkened while her expression started to go cold, “they have nine lives to waste and too much power anyway. Always in my way with their own witchery, Gumiho…”

“Get straight to the point.” The angel was growing too impatient and his nails were clawing into the thick table with so much force, it screeched loud in the dim room. She glared into his eyes while her hands moved rapidly across a red paper, she was writing something so fast that the corners were ripped by her sheer pace.

Then she carefully placed it into a small bottle, and as she brought it to her black eyes, they glowed green and slowly the clear glass turned murky. “This is a spell, just bring it into the room of the ceremony and he’ll be back alive”

“Yeah, fine, what do I need to do?”

“Listen well,”

It was one step outside of the mansion that he felt the different tingle inside his heart, he was about to leave. Forever. But forever sounded wrong, in so many ways even when leaving was his only way to happiness. His hand gripped Changjo’s finger, slightly trembling and the taller knew exactly what it meant.

Honestly, Changjo knew too well. But then he didn’t have the heart to push Changhyun any further, he had driven the boy enough and any more, would only bring them apart. “Hey, you need a minute?”

“Yeah. A minute sounds great”

Sixty seconds passed and when the clocked ticked, Changhyun started to sob. Because Changjo was holding him so tight, so warm and so lovely even when he practically hesitated. He couldn’t leave. He really couldn’t leave. “I don’t think I can forget them, yeah Chunji is an and Ljoe is asleep but..”

“They’re yours.” Changjo sighed, as the pain in his chest slowly grew unbearable. But there was nothing he could do. He was too tired of pulling Changhyun into his arms and it never seemed to work. Changjo let go of the boy’s hands as he took a step back, he wanted to smile, to look like he was fine.

But in fact, he was already fractured.

“Hey, we’ll stay here for a week. One week. And I want you to be with me, okay, we’ll leave, definitely, but…” Changhyun paused as his hands searched for the latter’s. “Not now?”

It was a stupid question. Changhyun wanted to stay while Changjo insisted on leaving and yet those words manage to slur out quite clearly. He was divided and it was obvious. The taller scratched his head as he avoided any further contact from Changhyun, he was boiling hot and just one touch could really melt his patience to the floor. God knows what would happen then. “Alright, suit yourself”

“I’ll grab us some beer, your house looked so bloody ancient… bet all the food is rotten”

His words came out sharp and stern, he didn’t have the strength to act strong anymore. This orchestra he had played along in was corroded with anger and disappointment that his script had spelled nothing but resentment.

♦

Five days went pass them like a breeze, while Changjo barely ever peeked at Changhyun. He was either too preoccupied with his smartphone or just gone. The latter started to worry, indeed, to see the taller being so upset, but instead he distracted himself by spending time with Ljoe. Cleaning the vault, wiping the glass until it shone and just chatting by himself, pretending like the angel was listening.

But his hands were trembling; he was scared of the silence, by the absence. He could feel Changjo drifting further away. But he couldn’t go any further from the man who raised him. At least not at that moment.

♦

“Changjo… I love you. “The boy said so slowly that it was barely a whisper, rather like a faint breath as the words rolled out and he snuggled closer to the boy he fell for. It was midnight and the stars were shining so Changjo’s skin was gleaming under the subtle sheen; he was glistening in the dark.

To his surprise, the latter’s eyes fluttered open and his deep, beautiful, blue eyes shimmered under the night sky. It took Changhyun’s breath away, he was beautiful and once more, the boy had fallen deeper in love with the half blood. Slowly their breath collided and the subtle moans echoed, they had locked their lips together, pulling and onto each other’s lips as if it was their first. But then something made, the smaller growl, he felt Changjo smiling, behind that all action, he could actually feel the boy grinning.

Then he heard something that made him smile, “I ing hate you right now, but… I love you too“and so his face lit up and they silently grinned at each other, skin inches away and breaths still colliding.

Changjo ran his hands across the smaller’s back and pulled Changhyun into an embrace so close that it made the latter suffocate a little, but that suffocation was incredibly pleasant. He missed Changjo, every word, every touch and every heart beats, he missed it all.