chapter 7
I'll always be by your side"Is this some kind of a joke? If it is, then please know I don't have time for jokes!"
Taekwoon said as he continued to glare at Hakyeon. How he knew you were an angel is one thing and him saying he is one too is another. Hakyeon pulled his arm out of Taekwoon's hold as he said:
"I... I am not joking. How else would I know?"
"She could have told you like she told me."
Taekwoon continued to look at him suspiciously. This doesn't make sense, he thought to himself as he stared at Hakyeon. Hakyeon was starting to get more nervous. He was never going to expose himself to any human. He didn't even tell the woman he loved. He was starting to regret it now, seeing how Taekwoon was glaring at him.
"Do you really think we go around telling humans who we really are? She told you because she loves you!"
"Prove it!"
Hakyen hesitated for a second before disappearing. This was the only way to prove to Taekwoon that he wasn't lying, that he wasn't making things up. Taekwoon was left dumbfounded at Hakyeon's sudden disappearance. He took few steps to the back and looked around the room with eyes wide open.
"Where did he go?"
He turned around when he heard Hakyeon's voice.
"Do you believe me now?"
He stared at him for a few seconds, trying to register what he'd just witnessed.
"Y... yes."
He was stuttering. Eventhough he was somehow used to you disappearing and reappearing in front of him, it still made him feel uneasy, especially that it wasn't even you this time. Hakyeon could see the distressed expressions on his face so he asked:
"Did you look this frightened when she showed you her real form?"
Taekwoon swallowed hard before nodding. Hakyeon sat down on Taekwoon's chair he said:
"This is why she's so insecure about this relationship."
Taekwoon sat down on his bed as he looked at Hakyeon before asking him:
"What do you mean? I tell her I love her every day."
"This makes her even more confused."
"What can I do? How do I prove to her that I really love her?"
Hakyeon suddenly felt sorry for him. He could see how desperate he was. He got off the chair and sat down next to Taekwoon. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he said:
"Tell her what you think is special about her. Make her feel like you only see her."
"I do. I only see her. I love her!"
He let out a sigh before saying:
"Sometimes I spend the whole night thinking what I've done in my life to deserve her. I've never met a person... someone who's as sweet and loving as she is. I bet my own parents don't love me as much as she does and it astonishes me. I feel like I don't deserve her but this doesn't mean I'd give her away! I'd do anything to keep her and be able to hold her in my arms forever."
Hakyeon gave Taekwoon's shoulder a light squeeze and smiled at him as he said:
"She loves you too, a lot. I can see it on her. Her aura is so vibrant. I don't think I've ever seen an angel with such a vibrant aura. Even mine..."
Taekwoon let out another sigh as he tried to prevent himself from tearing up. He then turned his face to look at Hakyeon as he said:
"Why did she leave me then? She didn't leave a message or anything behind. She simply disappeared. Do you really think she loves me?"
"Of course she does, idiot! Why else did she leave? She did because she loves you too much to have you look at her like she's an alien or some weird creature."
"I don't! I swear I don't!"
Taekwoon said and Hakyeon could feel his pain. He could see how hurt he was and he felt sorry for him. He didn't want you to go through the pain he's been through, and knowing Taekwoon loves you; he decided to help.
"I will help you find her!"
Hakyeon said and Taekwoon stared at him as he asked: "How?"
"Meet me tomorrow morning in front of the coffee shop and we'll go look for her togehter. I can see her even if she uses her angelic form."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course I am! I have to go now, I'll see you tomorrow!"
He disappeared again and Taekwoon was left alone. He took a few minutes to think of everything Hakyeon said. You left him because you love him? He wished he had a way to prevent you from leaving him ever again. He wished he could talk to you, explain things to you instead of having you assume things and decide on your own. He turned back to look at the letter when he suddenly thought of the only way to bring you back. I don't care if she calls me reckless, I have to give it a try; he thought to himself as he placed the letter inside his drawer and left his room.
He walked around the area for almost half an hour until he spotted what he was looking for. A few feet away from him stood a group men who were known for their troublemaking. He swallowed hard as he took more steps toward them and then pretended to accidently bump into one of them. Instead of turning around and apologizing like he usually does, he kept walking.
"Hey!"
He froze in his place. He suddenly remembered the last time he got involved in a fight and hurt himself. His mother cried her eyes out when she saw him coming home with a bandaged knee and a black eye. After all, he's always been her baby boy and she hated seeing him get even slightly hurt. He turned around ever so slowly and looked at the muscular guy staring down at him. He remained silent as his eyes studied the guy's face and then moved down to look at his arms and chest. He was double his size and he could break his jaw with one punch in the face. What was I thinking? He thought to himself as he regretted coming here in the first place.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
The guy said and Taekwoon stared at him for a second before saying:
"I don't think so."
---
You could feel your aura vibrating violently in the middle of a conversation you were having with your sister.
"What's wrong?"
"Taekwoon!"
You said as you flew down, feverishly looking around wishing he's safe and the vibrations had nothing to do with him. It took you a couple of seconds to spot him in the middle of a group of men trying to get himself out of their hold as he kicked on of them in the face. You froze in your place for a second before running toward one of the men and trying to push him away. They were all far stronger than you and Taekwoon together. You had to think of something to get him out of their hold quikcly. You remembered something your sister had told you about before; something done by an angel a very long time ago, it was now considered a myth. But you had no other option. You took Taekwoon into your hold, tightened your grip around his body and shut your eyes tightly. You could hear the men's frightened screams when Taekwoon suddenly disappeared from between their hands.
You kept your eyes shut as you tried to fly away from them and toward the coffee shop with Taekwoon in your arms. You didn't open your eyes until you could no longer hear the men's screams. When you did, you saw Taekwoon's staring at you in shock.
"What's happening?"
"I'm saving your life, again."
"Where have you been?"
He asked but you ignored his question as you flew toward the coffee shop so he asked again:
"Where have you been?"
"I haven't done this before so stop asking if you don't want to fall down."
He nodded shyly and then rested his head on your shoulder as he whispered:
"I missed you."
"Why are you suddenly talkative?"
You mumbled as you placed him down on the floor in front of the backdoor of the coffee shop. As soo as his feet touched the ground he lost his balance and fell backwards causing you to giggle.
"You're not used to flying, are you?"
Before he could get up and answer, you disappeared.
"Wait! Where did you go?"
No answer.
"I... I'll hurt myself again, you know! I can do it! I know how to bring you back!"
You fought the urge to punch his face for saying that but you have no option but to stay with him in your angelic form to stop him from doing anything stupid.
---
You decided to talk to Wonsik. He was the only perosn who could stop Taekwoon from hurting himself when you couldn't show him yourself. You walked in the direction of his house, knocked on his door and waited for him to open. When he did after a few seconds, his jaw dropped in surprise. You felt your cheeks heat up in embarrassment as you said:
"Can I talk to you?"
"[---]? Where have you been?"
"Can I... can I come in?"
"Yes sure. Let me call Taek-"
He said as he welcomed you into his house and closed the door behind him. You interrupted him:
"No! I need to talk to you first. Please."
"Come on in."
You sat down on the sofa and he sat down facing you as he continued to look at you in concern.
"Are you okay? We're so worried about you."
"I'm okay."
You said faintly while staring at the floor under your feet.
"What happened then? Where have you been?"
You looked up at him before saying:
"I can't tell you. I... I just want you to look after Taekwoon,"
He tilted his head in confusion before asking:
"Why? Are you not going to see him?"
"I don't think I can."
"But why? What happened?"
You let out a sigh and then said:
"I'm sorry. I... he might try to hurt himself. Please keep an eye on him for me, please."
He remained silent for a second and then asked:
"What makes you think he will?"
"I... I just know."
"[---]. Can't you at least go see him? Talk to him about whatever happened to you."
Your eyes dropped to the floor again as you bit your bottom lip, trying to prevent your tears from escaping.
"I don't think he wants to see me."
"What? What are you talking about?"
You looked at him as you said:
"I heard him... I heard him saying he doesn't like me. I know I might not be what he expects me to be most of the time but I really love him."
"What have you heard?"
He stared at you as he waited for your answer.
"I didn't mean to evesdrop but I heard him talking on the phone saying I wasn't like normal girls, cold and lifeless. I-"
When the answer was nothing of what he expected, he burst out laughing. You gawked at him when what you said didn't sound funny at all.
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm sorry."
He said as he laughed again.
"Did you seriously disappeare because you thought he was talking about you?"
You looked at him in cofusion. He cleared his throat before saying:
"He wasn't talking about you. He never says anything bad about you. Whenever I ask him about how things are going on between the two of you all he says is how much he loves you."
Your heart was pounding in your chest with every word he said. Not about me?
"What was he talking about then?"
"I don't think I can tell you."
He said and then smirked as he glanced at you. Your heart skipped a beat as you asked:
"Is it another girl?"
He chuckled and then said before you could ask again:
"No no. Taekwoon has no other girl but you. He was talking about the new coffee machine his mother bought last week."
Your eyes widening in surprise as your jaw dropped.
"What? Coffee machine?"
"Yes. He really liked the one he had before because he knew how to work with it but the new one is complicated and he hasn't figured out how to use it yet, which is why he was very upset about it."
You stood up as you said:
"Oh my God. He hates me, doesn't he? I should have talked to him."
Wonsik watched you pace the room as he said:
"Yes you should have. He's been suffering for the past two days, unable to eat or work because he is worried about you."
You turned to look at him.
"What do I do now?"
"Go and talk to him."
You sat down and placed your hands on your head as you said:
"I can't. I can't simply go to him and say I'm sorry I disappeared because I thought you hated me."
He remanined silent for a few seconds and then said:
"I have a plan."
---
You left Wonsik's house after discussing the plan with him. You weren't sure if it'll work or if you will have the courage to do it. He said this will only be a part of the plan but to you it seemed like it could affect Taekwoon a lot, or so you hoped. Your thoughts then led you to what happened with Taekwoon. You hated seeing him put his life in danger for you, especially after you realized it was all a misunderstanding. But you didn't know how to face him. You also hated how complicated things always were. You wished there could be a solution for all your problems and that you could finally live in peace with Taekwoon.
Meanwhile, Wonsik was following his part of the plan. When Taekwoon walked into the coffee shop and found Wonsik sitting to one of the tables he waved at him before taking a seat next to him.
"I need to talk to you."
"What is it?"
Wonsik took a deep breath before saying:
"I saw [---] today."
Taekwoon jumped off his seat as he yelled:
"What? Where?"
Wonsik looked around the coffee shop in embarrassment as he pulled Taekwoon down before saying:
"Calm down. She came to my house and asked me to deliver a message to you."
"What message? Why didn't she come herself?"
"I don't know. I asked her but she didn't give me an answer. All she said was 'Don't hurt yourself'."
"What is that supposed to mean? Did she say if she's coming back? Do you know where she's been?"
"I don't know anything. She just asked me to deliver this message to you."
They were both silent, trying to measure everything that has been said. Wonsik was going according to plan but he was also worried about Taekwoon. He could see how distressed he was but he knew what he was doing and he was sure it's for the better.
"Ah yes..."
Taekwoon glanced at Wonsik.
"She said she loves you."
Even if this wasn't something you asked him to deliver to Taekwoon, he knew it was true and he knew it would help ease his pain until the plan you and Wonsik put together was accomplished.
"Loves me? Really? Well if that was true she wouldn't have sent it with you."
"She has her own reasons. I'm sure things will be better soon. Don't worry."
"How can I not worry?"
Wonsik placed his hand on Taekwoon's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze as he said:
"Just trust me, it'll all be okay very very soon."
"We'll see."
---
Wonsik left Taekwoon and went home to rethink the rest of the plan before talking to you, leaving Taekwoon to his own thoughts. Taewkoon, on the other hand, was thinking of the message you asked Wonsik to deliver. He never thought you'd do to Wonsik in the first place, let alone ask him to tell him such a thing. He spent the night thinking about the last time you saved him and how he managed to see you and talk to you.
When he walked out of the coffee shop in the morning, he found Hakyeon waiting for him.
"Good morning. You look awful!"
Taekwoon rubbed his eyes as he said:
"I haven't slept at all. I can't stop thinking about her!"
Hakyeon smiled at him and gave his shoulder a light squeeze and he said:
"We'll find her don't worry."
"She spoke with Wonsik."
"Wonsik who?"
"My friend. The guy who came with me to the shop."
Hakyeon's smile disappeared when he remember Wonsik.
"Oh, the scary guy? Why?"
Taekwoon giggled at Hakyeon's choice of words and then said:
"He's not scary and I don't know. She asked him to tell me not to hurt myself."
Hakyeon's gaze was fixed on Taekwoon. He was surprised by what he said; what you asked Wonsik to tell him.
"Did you try hurting yourself? It's the only way to bring her back, isn't it?"
"Yes and... I had to try."
"Idiot."
Hakyeon said as he hit Taekwoon's head lightly.
"Ouch! What did you do that for?"
Taekwoon rubbed his head when Hakyeon said:
"Don't you ever do that again! Do you know how much pain it'll cause her if something happens to you?"
"What?"
Hakyeon let out a sigh as he said:
"It feels terrible to not be there to protect you and watch you fade away once and for all, cry over you for eternity and wish she could just die."
Hakyeon's face was turning red and his eyes were suddenly teary when Taekwoon asked:
"Did this happen to you?"
A tear found its way down Hakyeon cheek. He wiped it away, drew a fake smile on his face as he said: "We'll talk about this later. After we find her. Now let's go."
---
They walked around for a while in silence until Taekwoon asked:
"Why did you try to kiss her?"
Hakyeon turned to look at him before saying:
"I'm sorry."
Taekwoon didn't look at him as he said:
"I just want to know why."
Hakyeon took a deep breath as he said:
"Well... I felt like you didn't love her enough and I was slowly starting to get attached to her. I guess it's because she's the first to be this nice to me ever since..."
"Ever since what?"
Hakyeon bit his lower lip in pain when he recalled the last time someone was nice to him. He wasn't sure if he was willing to tell Taekwoon about it yet. When he opened his mouth to talk, he paused and it alerted Taekwoon. Hakyeon could feel your presense. He froze in his place as he looked around trying to find you. Taekwoon nudged his shoulder but he ignored him as he continued looking for you until he spotted you. He pointed in your direction as he yelled:
"She's there! I can see her!"
Taekwoon looked around but he couldn't see you.
"I can't see her!"
You turned around abruptly when you heard Hakyeon's voice. When you found him walking with Taekwoon, you ran away.
"I'll go after her."
Hakyeon followed you into an alley and then disappeared before blocking your way. You pushed him away as you said:
"What do you want?"
He grabbed you by the shoulders as he yelled:
"Why are you running away?"
You yelled back:
"What did you tell him?"
He let go of your shoulders as he looked at you, perplexed by what you said.
"What? Nothing! What do you think I told him?"
"I don't know."
"All I told him is how much you love him. Why are you doing this to him?"
"He doesn't want me anymore, why should he care if I'm around or not?"
"Who told you he doesn't want you? Huh? Did he ever say it to your face?"
"He doesn't need to say it, I can feel you."
"Then you need to fix your reception. He loves you and he wants you so just go back to him and stop hurting him like this!"
"I'm hurting him? He's hurting me!"
"No he's not! He's been suffering because of you."
You were taken aback when he yelled at you.
"You don't understand anything! Why are you even defending him?"
You yelled back and then noticed Taekwoon peeking to where he saw Hakyeon disappear but he couldn't see any of you. Seeing him, you walked in his direction and stared at him for a few seconds before touching his face gently. He flinched and then realized it's you. He placed his hand on his own cheek as if trying to touch your hand but you pulled your hand away and looked at Hakyeon before saying:
"See? I scare him."
"No!"
You ignored their calls and ran away, leaving them behind. Hakyeon appeared and patted Taekwoon's shoulder when he saw how upset he looked.
"She's still upset. But don't worry. We'll find her again and talk to her. I'm sure things will be okay soon."
Taekwoon let out a sigh before saying:
"I could feel her touch. Why is she doing this to me?"
"She thinks she scares you, and she hates it. Being different is not easy."
He paused for a second and then said:
"Let's give her some time."
Taekwoon nodded before saying:
"Thank you."
Hakyeon patted his shoulder again and then smiled as he said:
"You're welcome."
---
You went back to Wonsik and told him how things turned out the way he expected them to.
"That was fast!"
"I know! I wasn't expecting to see them today."
"That's better. It means the plan will definitely work."
You looked at him and then asked:
"Do you really think this will work?"
"Yes, trust me. I'm sure it will."
"What do I do now?"
"Just disappeare for the coming two days and meet me at my house on Thursday at 6."
"Okay."
You turned around to leave and then hesitated for a second before saying:
"Wonsik."
"Yes."
"Thank you."
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