VI. I REGRET

Taeyang considered his target with a thoughtful frown. If he was going to be successful in stealing away Seunghyun’s soul, then he was going to have to do something about that baby angel. His frown deepened. But what to do? How could he make the little baby angel willingly turn his back on Seunghyun. And then his cold, dark eyes glittered. Jiyong was still his perfect muse. Nothing cured a fool of their love quite like a shattered heart.

It was the oldest trick in the book: sound like an angel. Humans were so easy to deceive if they thought that a suggestion would truly benefit them, and angel were usually the sole source of such uplifting insight. But, all it took was a little twist for beautiful words to become the first steps on the journey downwards. Going to Seunghyun, Taeyang rubbed his hands together gleefully before pressing his fingertips lightly to the back of the man’s neck. “Mino would be so proud of you if you managed to go out,” he murmured. “Hasn’t he told you that you need to be social again?”

Seunghyun stirred a little. Over the past few months, he had become familiar with the feel of Taeyang’s suggestions – more susceptible to the honey of his voice. And this suggestion seemed so innocuous – just go socialize – that even the baby angel would not have protested. The human gently teased his fingers against the surface of the coverlet before slowly pushing it down to tangle at his feet. “Good boy,” Taeyang drawled. Seunghyun slowly lurched to his feet, his body rocking at the unfamiliar task of holding his weight, before shuffling to the closet. He hesitated, hand outstretched towards the selection of button downs and sweaters hanging there. Slinking up behind him, the demon curled his arms about the man’s waist and smirked into his shoulder blade. “A social drink would be nice, wouldn’t it? It’d still be going out, and Mino threw away all of the booze. It's a win-win, really.” Seunghyun’s fingers closed around the hanger that held a black dress shirt.

When the man arrived at the club Taeyang had directed him to, he hesitated at the pulsing cacophony of the music and the choking heat of too many bodies pressed together. His shoulders curled in towards his body as he pushed through the crowd towards the refuge of the bar. Taking a seat on the stool at the end, he sighed and tried to focus on the menu posted on a placard at his elbow. He quickly gave up and ordered a whiskey; sometimes wine was not strong enough. Taeyang watched him pour several of those down his throat before deciding to enact the second phase of his plan. It took him a few minutes to find a suitable candidate, but oh she was fine. Full bust, tiny waist, pouty lips – a tribute to the silicon masters. Brushing against her, he pointed out the lonely, attractive man at the bar and murmued, "Go get him."

She did not even hesitate in her approach.

The demon laughed easily as she sidled up to Seunghyun and traced her fingers along the back of his arm. Seunghyun did not spare her so much as a glance, instead choosing to inhale his whiskey. But, oh, she was just as persistent as Taeyang had hoped. She flirted, she , he even grabbed like a pro. Walking closer, Taeyang noted the glassiness of Seunghyun's eyes and the way he swayed a little in his seat. There was even a flush working up the back of his neck, as though the room was beginning to grow too hot. "Come on, Seunghyun," he murmured. "Give in. This'll be good for you." His lips melted into a smirk as Seunghyun suddenly grabbed the woman by the wrist and drug her out the small side door, into the alleyway. Slipping out into the darkness, Taeyang listened to the nearly breathless moans and grunts coming from the shadows. And, true to form, the baby angel and his trainer chose that moment to show their stupidly pretty faces. Taeyang waited with bated breath for the baby angel’s features to fall in horror as he realized just what his precious lover – his “heaven” – was doing in the darkness.

But Daesung just raised an eyebrow. “That’s one way to be social,” he mused, causing Jiyong to nearly choke behind him. Daesung’s gaze slipped over to rest on Taeyang. “Is this your doing?”

Tracing his tongue along the edge of his teeth, Taeyang considered the baby angel, who looked more bored than horrified. “What, are you upset that your lover has forgotten about you so soon? It's a shame. He must not love you as much as you thought.” It was worth a shot, he figured, to at least try the ploy. He was deeply unnerved, though, by the way the baby angel laughed.

“I can tell you didn’t do your homework,” he said easily. “But that’s okay. I forgive you for not knowing Seunghyun as well as I do.” And then the baby angel had the nerve to, of all things, wink at Taeyang. Flabbergasted, the demon looked over at Jiyong, who instinctively gave him an equally confused shrug in return. The moment the pair realized what they had done, though, their gazes slammed back to rest on Daesung. “He hasn’t forgotten me at all. If anything, this says how much he misses me.” Daesung shook his head a little.

"Excuse me?" Taeyang could not help the incredulous look he shot the little angel.

Daesung flashed him a wide smile, his eyes turning into crescents with the motion. "He misses me. And I am grateful you were able to remind me of that."

"You - what?" Again, Taeyang and Jiyong exchanged confused looks. "Jiyong, did you drop the baby angel on his head or something? He's lost his mind."

Jiyong was so stunned that Taeyang had said his name that the angel froze. His wide, dark eyes remained fixed on the demon for several long moments before Daesung began to laugh agan. Suddenly serious, the blond angel cut in: “Taeyang… Youngbae… You know, you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to drag him down.”

This time, Taeyang took a step back. “Don’t call me that,” he hissed.

“Why not?” Daesung blinked at him, his tiny eyes making him seem like the picture of childlike innocence. “Youngbae is your name.”

Flames began to crackle into life around Taeyang’s clenched fist as he glared the baby angel down. “Not anymore it ain’t,” he growled. “Call me that again, and I’ll end you.” His voice was a surprisingly low growl, which made Jiyong shudder. He remembered what that voice had meant when Youngbae had used it. Typically that voice was followed by broken limbs and bloody noses. But, Daesung did not know just how much peril he was in.

Stepping closer to him, effectively closing the distance, Daesung reached out and gently curled his hand around Taeyang’s fist. The flames sighed out of existence, and the demon began to shake. Their gazes met, and Daesung stared deeply into the demon's eyes. “Youngbae, please stop hurting Seunghyun. Let him go.”

Daesung crashed into Jiyong, causing both angels to land heavily against the wall. When they looked up, Taeyang had vanished. Jiyong snorted. “Good job, baby angel. I think you’ve made the demon even madder.”

The blond laughed a little. “Oh, I don’t know, I think that went pretty well.” He shrugged loosely before throwing an arm around Jiyong’s shoulders. “After all, he didn’t end me like he said he would. That’s something, right?”

“I hate your optimism,” Jiyong deadpanned. “So much.”

“Aw, that’s a shame, Ji.” Daesung gave his shoulders a squeeze. “Because my optimism just loves you and your shining personality.”

A tiny bit of a smile managed to flicker across Jiyong’s lips before he smothered it. “You are so ridiculous.”

The distinct keening of a moan drew both angel’s attention back towards the pair rutting in the alley. Jiyong made a face. “That is so unsanitary.” His gaze snapped up to rest on Daesung’s face. “Are you...really okay?”

Leaving his arm around Jiyong’s shoulder, Daesung began to pull the other angel towards the alley’s exist. “Do you remember how I met Seunghyun?” Jiyong nodded easily. “What I didn’t tell you was that it took us months after that to actually manage to date. Seunghyun – bless him – was horrible at relationships. Something about being in love with just one person for the rest of his life terrified him. So, he refused to let anyone get too close. The day after our first date he went on a date with Onew and the day after that with Chaerin and the day after that with Minzy and Dara.” He shook his head. “I think Seunghyun was on a personal mission to sleep with the entire university before he graduated. I mean, during our first date he propositioned me at least six different times. I couldn’t even handle how ridiculous the situation was; I was the first person who had turned him down.”

Jiyong’s smile began to creep back onto his lips. “Sounds like he was as bad as I was.”

“Oh, skies, even the thought of you two teaming up is enough to give me nightmares. You would have been absolute trouble together.” Daesung shook his head, sighing dramatically. “Seunghyun was a mess. An adorable mess, but still a mess. I think, though, that Seunghyun had simply been waiting for someone who wanted him for more than his looks - someone who would accept him for exactly who he was. I think he came to realize that I was that person, because when we'd go out I would actually listen to him when he talked; not many people really listen anymore. When I would plan dates, I always based them on things I knew he liked - like going out for designer ice cream or going to a museum - in order to show him that I was paying attention. It got to the point where we were going out nearly every week, and he started to let me get close to him. Our relationship moved slowly, because he wasn't ready to let me all the way in and I wasn't ready to be too physical. Everyone teased us mercilessly.But, it got to the point he was dating me and sleeping with a different girl each week. It drove me nuts. When I asked him why he did that, he looked me in the eye and said, ‘Daesung, girls could never capture my heart. They’re just a way to keep myself occupied until you’re ready for more.’”

Jiyong snorted. “Seriously?”

The blond laughed easily. “The sad thing is that Seunghyun was completely serious. That’s why him being with a woman just…doesn’t worry me. It means Seunghyun is coping in the only way he knows how – just like the drinking. He doesn't get emotionally invested in women, it's purely ual.”

There was a long silence as the pair continued to walk down the busy streets of Seoul. “Your relationship is so messed up,” Jiyong decided at last.

“In some ways, I guess. Once we were officially boyfriends, he gave up his girls, though. He wanted to be faithful to me, because he knows how important monogamy is to me.” Daesung’s gaze fell. “He might be a bit crazy, but Seunghyun has a good heart.”

“I think crazy is the least of words,” Jiyong muttered. But, as though sensing that Daesung was becoming distracted, he elbowed the young angel. “So, what’s our counterattack going to be. You know Youngbae isn’t going to just give up because you asked nicely.”

Rubbing his side with a rueful smile, Daesung shrugged. “It was worth a shot, though? And a guy can always dream.” His steps slowed. “What’s Youngbae like when he’s mad?”

“Pissy,” Jiyong answered immediately. “But he’s not the type to get up in your face – not really. He barks more than he bites. More likely to do something behind your back or make an underhanded jab than come from the front.”

Daesung nodded slowly. “I think that gives me an idea of what we need to do, because I bet he’s not changed that much.” He clapped his hands together. “Right, I need to go talk to Ji-Hyo. You, meanwhile, need to check on Mino. See if you can’t, I don’t know, make something good happen in his life.”

Jiyong sputtered at that command, “G-good? What do you mean by that?”

“Use your imagination, Jiyong,” Daesung teased. “I know you’ve got one. I’ve heard the way you used to swear.” And with a wink, the blond angel was gone.

“Swearing and making good things happen are two totally different things,” Jiyong called to the darkness. He could swear he could hear Daesung laughing at him.

Blowing a rogue bit of white hair out of his eyes, Jiyong focused on the artist and suddenly found himself standing…in front of a bakery? Jiyong blinked. In his personal experience, bakeries were generally not open that late in the evening; but, the NamCat Bakery was apparently not like other places in Seoul. Not only was the store still open, but it was full of people munching on cupcakes, macaroons, shortbread, pie, cookies, and – Jiyong felt his mouth begin to water – even linzer tarts with delicate latticework tops. This is what Heaven is supposed to be like, the angel thought. Stepping into the bakery, Jiyong breathed in the sugary scent of the baked goods with a bit of a smile. Clearly, he had the better mission between him and Daesung. Bakeries were so much better than art galleries. And then he noticed the distinct sound of someone singing. The angel turned towards the corner of the shop, where a small stage featured a young man with a guitar singing his heart out. Jiyong blinked – again. And then a full, gummy smile broke out over his normally stoic features. He may have even giggled a little. “I love whoever owns this place,” he declared firmly.

Twisting, Jiyong scanned the crowd for the tan skin and broodingly intense gaze of the younger Choi. He was surprised to find him standing behind the counter, leaning easily against the tile wall, talking to a person stooping to grab something from beneath the work station. Jiyong snuck closer just in time to catch the way Mino’s gaze trailed down the figure’s back and came to rest on the rather flat behind of the baker himself. Something good, eh? Jiyong thought with a smirk. Daesung would be so proud of him for coming up with an answer so quickly.

When Taehyun stood up once more, Mino innocently returned his gaze to the man’s pretty face. “The amount of frosting I go through is a bit ridiculous,” Taehyun huffed, pouting a little.

“You need to stop making everything so delicious,” Mino teased, reaching over to poke the baker’s arm. His hand was immediately smacked, making him laugh. “What? It’s the truth! If the frosting weren’t delicious, you wouldn’t go through so much of it.” His dark eyes glittered at the sight of the smile curling the edge of Taehyun’s lips.

“If you aren’t careful, I will make sure to pour salt on anything you get here in the future. Seunghyun will have to come here himself if he ever wants a delicious treat.” Taehyun playfully stuck his nose into the air and looked off towards where Seungyoon was crooning a ballad.

Jiyong smirked. “This is way too easy,” he decided. Reaching over, he put a hand on Mino’s shoulder. “You should make a move. He's clearly interested in you.”

Mino his bottom lip as he considered the baker’s fine profile. “Aw, Taehyun. If you want to be delicious, I’ll let you.” Taehyun’s dark eyes snapped to meet Mino’s gaze. “But…you got to give me something in return for my generosity.”

Popping a hip out, Taehyun planted a fist on it and raised a droopy brow. “Oh? What’s that?”

The more muscular man pushed off the wall and stepped closer to Taehyun. He hesitated a moment before holding out a hand. “Can I have this dance?”

A war seemed to break out on Taehyun’s face: Delight and regret battled for dominance before the man silently hung his head. “I..wish I could,” he murmured. “But I’m, uh, kind of seeing someone.”

Mino and Jiyong unwittingly had twin expressions of shock on their faces. The brunette recovered first and took a step back. “Oh. I’m s-sorry,” he stuttered. “I hadn’t realized you were with someone. I, uh –“

“It’s okay, Mino. I’m not at all – I mean.” Taehyun ran a hand through his long chestnut hair. “I really wish I could dance with you. I don’t think I’ve met anyone so caring and funny before. You seem like a really fantastic guy.”

An awkward, stilted laugh slid past Mino’s lips. “Thanks, I guess.”

Taehyun shrugged. “I – can we be friends, maybe?”

Jiyong reached out to place a comforting hand on Mino’s shoulder. The artist cleared his throat and managed to give the baker a wide, toothy grin. “Sure. If you’re willing to keep me around.” But Jiyong could hear the pain lacing his voice; poor baby Choi had really fallen for the sassy man. It was kind of like watching a puppy have a steak ripped out of its mouth only to be replaced by a shriveled piece of jerky.

But, Taehyun nodded eagerly. “Of course I want to keep you around. And you’re still supposed to coax Seunghyun here to visit me. I miss your brother lurking at the corner table. It feels weird having someone else sit there come Saturday morning.”

Latching onto the subject of his brother, Mino quickly steered the conversation away from the disaster that had just unfolded. But, in the back corner of his mind, he could not help wondering just what sort of person Taehyun was dating. Were they handsome? Beautiful? Definitely fashionable, if Taehyun’s neat appearance, even at work, was anything to go by. Probably a hundred times better than a grubby artist who loved oversized jerseys and backwards snapbacks, Mino decided with a sigh. Jiyong, meanwhile, was scowling up a storm at the baker. The man just had to ruin his perfect, beautiful plan. 

Daesung was having much better luck with Ji-Hyo.

He found his sister sitting in the office at the gallery, staring blankly at her computer screen. The background was a picture of her and Daesung – their lips tugged into matching grins and their fingers poking each other’s cheeks. She seemed to be remembering that day; they had gone to the amusement park to celebrate her gallery opening. Daesung smiled a little to himself, thinking of how she had drug him onto rollercoasters and had laughed at his screaming. He had retaliated by making her play games with him, which she did horribly at; but, she had loved the fluffy unicorn Daesung had won. In fact, that silly stuffed animal was still seated in a place of honor on the shelf above her desk.

With a soft creak of leather, she leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Dae-ah,” she murmured, “I miss you.” She sniffed hard, making her nose crinkle.

Daesung carefully sat down on the edge of her desk and reached forward to take her hands in his. “Ji-Hyo,” he murmured, warmth and affection coloring the word, “I miss you too. But it’s okay. I’m with you still.” He leaned forward to press a light kiss to the smooth surface of her cheek.

She sighed softly. “Sometimes it feels like you’re still here with me. And I’m not sure if that’s because I never thought of a world without you in it or because… because you’re still out there somewhere.” Her eyes slid shut as tears began to gather in her beautiful eyes. “Here you go again, making me cry.”

“Don’t cry, Ji-Hyo.” Daesung gave her hands a squeeze. “I need you to do something for me.” He could sense more than see his sister tuning into his voice. “The gallery will need a new exhibit soon. You should do one about heaven – like that song Junsu has been working on. Please, Ji-Hyo. For me.”

His sister’s gaze slowly rose from the lip of the desk, seeming to skate up to rest on the desktop image once more. But, then it continued to rise – stopping on his face. For a brief moment, he saw her eyes light up. Could she see him? His breath caught when she suddenly surged to her feet and reach out towards him. And then she hesitated – hand outstretched. Daesung carefully reached out to line his palm up with hers, sighing at the soft warmth of his sister’s hand.

“Daesung,” she sighed softly. “I need to do an exhibit to celebrate Daesung.” Then, as though the vision of her brother had vanished, she turned and grabbed her phone. “Junsu. I need you here at the gallery – bring the sheet music for the song you’ve been working on in honor of Jaejoong.” She hesitated. “I’ll explain when you get here.”

The angel trailed along behind his sister as she rushed into the studio and prepared a large sheet of sketch paper. An exhibit in his honor was not precisely what he had in mind, but he was curious just what she would do. His sister often took inspiration from seemingly random things only to make the most amazing exhbits. While he thought about the nature of his sister's work, Ji-Hyo pulled out the keyboard she kept in the corner for Junsu. Some of her favorite dates with her fiancé were ones where he would sit in the corner composing while she sat drawing. By the time Junsu arrived – looking rather out of breath – Ji-Hyo had already begun to sketch. Her pencil was moving furiously over the paper as she fought to capture the image she had seen for too brief a moment. Rather than kiss her hello, Junsu walked over to the keyboard and began to set the sheet music on the stand. He knew better than to interrupt her when she had her tongue sticking out of the corner of ; it was a sign she was entrenched in her work. “Are you sure you want to hear this one? It’s not finished yet.”

Ji-Hyo nodded. “Yes. I need to hear it. It fits.” Junsu sighed and carefully lifted his fingers. He then began to play the light, almost fluttering, tune to the song he had been working on as a memoriam for his childhood best friend. Daesung frowned at the memory. Jaejoong had died at just twenty from a rare form of cancer, and Junsu had been absolutely distraught at the loss of his dearest friend. It had taken the quieter man years to be able to cope with his grief and begin working on this particular song. But, it was haunted with a raw sort of passion, that need to have a loved one stay.

When Daesung looked up, he was surprised to find another angel in the room. His eyes widened a little at the sight of an almost painfully beautiful face set with intense eyes, a broad nose, and wide, thin lips. He had been in the presence of perfection before – he had spent several years waking up to Seunghyun every morning, after all – but this man was a brand of beauty Daesung had not experienced in person before. After a long moment, Daesung managed a little bow. “Hello.”

“You’re Kang Daesung,” the other angel said after a moment.

“Yes, sir. I am.” Somehow it felt right to address the other angel with a title of respect. He seemed to radiate a power and control that Jiyong, for all his charm, did not have. 

The other angel nodded slowly, the movement strangely sensual. “I’m Kim Jaejoong.” Daesung’s eyes went as wide as they could and his mouth fell a little open. This ethereal creature before him was the same sickly young man that had introduced Ji-Hyo to the love of her life? The transformation was startling, to say the least. Jaejoong seemed to be watching him closely iin return, as though he were equally fascinated by the changes time had wrought. “Are you here checking on your sister?”

“No,” Daesung murmured, blinking out of his stupor. “Um, I’m getting her help. With my assignment.”

“Ah.” Jaejoong nodded. “Choi Seunghyun. I had hoped they would make me your trainer.” It made Daesung wonder if everyone in Heaven knew about his assignment; he even got asked about Seunghyun when just walking down the streets of Heaven. But to hear that Jaejoong had wanted to be his trainer... The blond could not help but imagine how different it would have been to have an angel who knew his family helping him, someone who clearly was a powerful angel based on the radiance he gave off. And Daesung felt guilty. Jiyong might not light up a room when he walked in, but he was a good man with a surprisingly tender heart. Daesung had to believe that he had been assigned to Jiyong because the other angel was the best man for the job. 

his lip, Daesung ducked his head a little as he fought for the right thing to say. “Junsu and Ji-Hyo told me a lot about you, but I don’t think we ever properly met. Except that once when I nearly ran you over on the stairs.”

Jaejoong laughed a little. “I remember that. You were all arms and legs, then. Couldn’t have been more than ten.” Daesung had been entirely awkward as a child, and Ji-Hyo had frequently been embarrassed by him while they were growing up. She had purposely avoided bringing her friends anywhere near her 'dorky younger brother' for fear he would cause some catastrophe. Honestly, Daesung could not blame her. The first time she had brought Junsu over, Daesung had managed to spill a slushy all over the boy. He had simply been lucky that Junsu had laughed the incident off and bought him a new slushy; Junsu was great like that. 

“Nine,” Daesung agreed easily. But then a shiver of cold dread filled his stomach. “You…aren’t here because one of them is going to die soon, are you?” His chin jerked towards Ji-Hyo and Junsu.

A soft smile turned the thin bow of Jaejoong’s lips. “No. They will have many, many years before their turn comes. I heard Junsu playing our song, and I came to listen.” He shrugged even as a hand snuck up to wrap around the back of his neck. “That’s all.”

“If you come to this side,” Daesung murmured, “you can watch Ji-Hyo sketch. Watching them work together is even better than just listening to Junsu play.”

After a moment of hesitation, the other angel moved to stand beside Daesung. Their eyes watched the strange circles and lines on the sheet of paper begin to resolve themselves into more distinct shapes. There seemed to be the curve of a lip here and a shoulder there. Slowly a broad, smooth jawline began to form under the lead of her pencil. Daesung tilted his head, though, as another shape began to rise behind the shoulders – perhaps the background? It wasn’t much longer until Jaejoong suddenly grinned. “I see.”

Daesung blinked and looked up at the slightly taller angel. “What?”

Reaching over, Jaejoong gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You’ll see later. Why don’t you go meet up with Jiyong? I will keep watch here. Whatever you’re planning seems to be well in motion.”

The blond hesitated before nodding slowly. “Thank you for taking such good care of both of them.” He stepped back and bowed deeply to the other angel. “I hope we can work together in the future.”

“If there is anything I can do to help, just let me know,” Jaejoong said simply. “I would do anything for Junsu and his family. And Daesung?"

"Yes, sir?" Jaejoong repressed a smile at the way the younger angel looked at him: attentive and ready for orders. "Remember that you are not alone in this mission. Any angel will help you if you only ask. But," he frowned, "remember that Taeyang is not alone either. You have a long fight ahead of you."

Daesung inclined his head. "I understand, and I am ready to fight. I can't give up on him."

Jaejoong at last let a full smile turn his lips. "That's the spirit."

The baby angel bowed again before disappearing with a bit of a blush on his cheeks. The older angel chuckled and gave his head a shake. “That kid. Tch.” His gaze came to rest on his best friend. "You are one lucky man, Junsu."

---

So, Taeyang's plan backfired a bit. You can bet, though, he's not going to take that lying down. -shakes head- This chapter frustrated me to no end, and I'm still not sure I'm happy with it. But, I guess that's life.

Also, I had not planned for Jaejoong to actually appear in this fic, but he clearly had other plans. So...there you go. What do you guys think Taeyang's next move is going to be? Will Mino ever catch the dear NamCat? Will Seunghyun ever be sober?