Once in a thousand years, an angel was born on Earth.

The angel was as beautiful as all the other angels in Heaven but as haughty and mean as worst of the humans on Earth.

'I'm so beautiful' the angel sighed in amazement at his own reflection.

'You're so beautiful' everyone agreed and the angel grew up empty, and in love with himself.

~

As the years went by, the angel grew more and more in love with himself and more and more cruel. The tales of his beauty spread around, traveling over the lands, and people from near and far arrived to marvel at the being, some daring enough to ask for his hand in marriage.

'How dare you' the angel looked at them in disgust, seeing nobody but himself in their eyes, 'I will only marry someone more beautiful than myself'

And he turned them all away, laughing, as he knew there would never be anyone to surpass him.

~

Without a worry on his mind did the angel spend his days in the sun, growing more and more distant from the world around him.

I don't need anyone else, he thought as he looked at his reflection in the water, as long as I have myself, and he kissed his own lips, the water rippling as he touched it.

~

When the angel reached his twenty third birthday, the King of Fairies visited him, having heard of his beauty that surpassed the one of his elves.

'I have a son' he said, awed by the beautiful creature, 'whose voice is as distinct as bellflowers in a misty mornings and heart so pure it can create beauty even in the driest of places. His heart is on par with your beauty, angel, you should marry my Xia'

But the angel looked at him unimpressed and laughed, shaking his beautiful head.

'Your son may be pure and his voice may be sweet as honey drops, but I am more beautiful than the nature itself, so leave, as I will only marry someone more beautiful than me'

Angry and humbled, the King of Fairies left, swearing that the angel would regret his ill ways.


The next day, having heard of the beautiful being, the King of Everything Abandoned came to meet the haughty angel, making a proposal to him.

'My son is so handsome and his hands are skilled' he said, amazed by the beautiful creature, 'they can turn even the darkest and the bleakest of places into works of art. His talent is on par with your beauty, angel, you should marry my Micky'

But the angel looked and looked at him and laughed, his bright eyes dancing with mischief.

'Your son is handsome indeed and his hands are as skillful as a spider's web but my beauty suppresses anything your son could ever make, so leave, as I will only marry someone more beautiful than me'

Ashamed and humbled, the King of Everything Abandoned left, swearing that one day the angel would regret his words.


On the third day the King of the Spirit World came and made a proposal to the angel.

'You are beautiful, angel, but my son is witty and honest. He will bring life and laughter to your heart as he has an eye for treasures hidden even in the ugliest of being. For your own happiness you should marry my Changmin'

Hearing that the angel's face lit up in anger, his clear eyes burning with rage.

'Your son my be witty and honest, Spirit king, but I don't care for your hidden treasures as I am more beautiful than any hidden treasure to ever be found. I will only marry someone more beautiful than me but I will never marry your son'

Appalled and disappointed, the King of the spirit world left, swearing the angel would regret turning him away.

But the angel just laughed, the threats falling dead on his ears.

Having driven away all of the old kings, the angel felt happy and content and danced in his garden until he felt tired and went to sleep under the honeysuckles in his heavenly garden. In his careless he didn't notice the dark shadow looming over the sky.

As the angel slept, a black crow landed beside him, all of the flowers wilting and the trees shedding their leaves. The crow looked at the beautiful creature and cawed, stirring him out of his sleep.

'There there, little angel,' the crow greeted him as he turned into an ugly old man with a long beard and a goat's leg, 'I'm the lord of the underground and I have never seen a soul as dark and twisted as yours. You have driven everyone who loved you away so now I will take you to the underground where you will forever be mine'

And, as he reached out to touch the beautiful creature, his bony fingers burned his bronze skin.

Scared, the angel cried out, soaring high up in the skies before falling down, his wings all tangled up in the dark shadows surrounding them. He called out for help but nobody came as there was nobody left to hear him. Tears streamed down his beautiful face and he begged the old devil to let him go. He begged and pleaded until he took pity on him.

'Fine,' the man said, clicking his goat leg against the ground, 'I will give you five more years to live in the Sun. But when I come back to take you to the underworld, you will come willingly with me'

With that said, he turned back into a crow, leaving the beauty alone.

Scared the angel sat down in his garden and started to cry. He cried night and day, crystal tears forming cold streams at his feet, turning his bronze skin pale and fragile. He cried and cried until the King of the Fairies took pity of him.

'You angered me when I came to you' he said as he looked at the weeping creature, 'but you are beautiful, angel, and it pains me to see you like that. I will help you'

'Please' the angel fell to his knees, his wide eyes glimmering with tears.

But the King's heart was still bitter from how the angel had treated him so he shook his head and said.

'I will tell you how to escape the old devil but only if you give me what you treasure the most in return'

The angel cried out, his eyes shedding tears again, but the King of the Fairies would not yield so he finally agreed, tearing his wings off and giving them away.

'You have changed' the King looked at the being, amazed, his expression softening 'so I will reward you greatly for that'

He called his son Xia and showed him the fallen angel, saying, 'guard him well as in five years time the old man will try to come after him. Make sure he finds someone who loves him more than he loves himself as only that will clean the darkness from his soul'

Xia nodded, playfully landing at the angel's feet, and created a beautiful rosebush that bloomed in the colors of the beauty's lips. But the angel felt sad and sorry for himself so he wept even harder when the King left.

He cried night and day, his melodic voice turning into broken sobs, until the King of Everything Abandoned heard him, taking pity on the beautiful being.

'You shamed me when you dejected my son' he said to the angel who looked at him in his fallen grace, 'but you're still beautiful so I will help you'

The angel thanked him, the tears shimmering in his long lashes, but in the king's face he saw anger.

'My heart is still at unrest from how you treated me. You will have to give up your freedom, living in the darkness and cold, if you want me to ever help you'

The angel averted his eyes and nodded, promising to never show himself in the sun again, and the King was surprised, his heart now calm.

'You have changed' he said, taking the angel by the hand and leading him into the dark house, 'so I will send my son to you and for the next five years he will guard you well, making you see beauty where there wasn't before'

And the King's son came and painted the most beautiful of sights on his walls and told him the most amazing stories that he knew but the angel missed the Sun and the darkness scared him, so he cried every night in his sleep as nothing brought him joy.

He cried and cried until his eyes turned cold and colorless, the beautiful light they once held now gone.

That's when the King of the Spirit World came, taking pity on the fallen angel.

'Your mean character and ugly words appalled me when I came to you but you're still beautiful enough, angel, so I will help you. But only if you hide your beauty away for the next five years'

The angel looked at him with his cold, colorless eyes and nodded, surprising the King of the Spirits with his humbleness.

'Had you learned that beauty isn't everything, you wouldn't have to suffer like this' he said and touched the angel's face, dazzling it in a diamond mask. He put a dark cloak over his soft hair and kissed his rosy lips.

'If you let anyone kiss you who loves you less than you love yourself, your hair will fall out and your eyes will become blind and the mask that you wear will grow one with your face'

Scared, the angel cried out, falling on his knees. He looked up at the King, begging for him to undone this curse.

'Why are you so cruel to me?' he wailed and wailed, his cold heart breaking in pain. His hands reached out but fell when he couldn't follow the King up in the sky. Humbled and ashamed, he started to sob.

'I'm not cruel, little angel,' the King of the Spirit World smiled, landing in front of him and gathering the beautiful being in his arms, 'I just want you to be happy. If someone will fall in love with your heart rather than your face, you will learn what true love is. Give him a year of freedom before you welcome him back and if he returns you will be free at last and your heart will not be dark anymore. Then, and only then, will you understand what the meaning of beauty truly is'

And with that the King of the Spirit World left, leaving his son Changmin with them, not because he wanted to stay but because the King needed a break.

'Oh, won't your stop crying' the spirit rolled his eyes, clasping a hand on the angel's back, 'it could always be worse. You could be stuck guarding a whiny angel in a dark house with two clueless fools as your only friends' and he looked at Micky and Xia chattering happily in the corner.

Hearing that, the angel smiled despite still feeling sad, and stood up. He dried his empty tears and looked up, for the first time in his life praying. There had to be someone in this world who would fall in love with him, even if he was not beautiful anymore.

(end? I mean, this is a prequel so, I guess, this was the end?)





A/N: yeah, and sure, Jaejoong's age here is pure coincidence. Moving on...

Also, super happy for JJ and his win *squeal*