Chapter Text
This story begins in a place known to many humans as Heaven, and ends in Hell.
These words vary in many lands: Nirvana, Paradise, Gehenna, Hades… Different tongues speak of the same places so differently, that there are those who seek to dispute its true name and nature. And there are those few who choose to believe in neither, content with their lives in the mortal realm. But we are not here to discuss these trivial matters that have traversed the Earth for eons. To keep this story simple, we will call them Heaven and Hell.
Another curious question one might ask, why are we going backwards? Most tales and folklore speak of rising up, from Hell to Heaven. Redemption, enlightenment, and power… Humans seek to be lifted from Hell into Heaven, and not forced from the latter into the former.
But this story doesn’t involve humans.
Well, it does partly.
Those four rascals who had unwittingly changed the two sides and flipped reality upside down and inside out. Yet the ones who keep this story moving were not humans at all. Far from it. They don’t breathe or speak or work as humans do, but that is the exciting part, isn’t it? Learning about creatures that exist beyond our minds.
So if you are one who is firm with their beliefs and dare not venture into the new worlds, I would advise you to stop here and return to your dainty, fragile lives. Be blissfully unaware and happy and ignorant, for that is the easy path. But if you have the guts and the open mind, I beg you, listen to what this story has to say. There will be blood. There will be tears. There will be a whole lot of things you can never fathom in your tiny human lives.
Yet through it all, I can most certainly guarantee that you will remember this story for a long time.
Because who doesn’t love a love story that breaks the boundaries of human knowledge?
~~~
“Yoon Jeonghan! Quit lazing around and start keying the data into the system!”
The man being spoken to couldn’t care less. It wasn’t like his department was doing some urgent, top-level things, just sourcing and some simple analyst work. Heck, there were at least a dozen other offices down the hallway who did the exact same thing as Jeonghan’s team: soul-searching and data analysis. Jeonghan wasn’t even sure there were only a dozen teams doing this job — given the size of their company building and the number of floors listed as 'spirit guidance', there had to be over a thousand employees doing the same shit work he had been doing for years.
“Will do… eventually.”
“Ya! Don’t make me check what you are doing!”
“Not like you would do anything.”
Jeonghan didn’t really get why Jihoon, their team manager, always got so worked up about his working style. They only had to key in data when it exists, and it was honestly easier to just do it all at once at the end of the week rather than make it a daily task. The other assignment they had currently, the impending monthly report from each team, was also not exactly the most urgent issue in Jeonghan’s opinion. It was roughly the same each time, a summary of the souls that they have managed to guide into Heaven, a list or table, and a few graphs to prove that they were maintaining in number. All these could be copy pasted from past reports, so there was no need to finish it so soon. Even if his team didn’t submit their monthly report, the other angels in their department surely will do their part and bury the mistake deep in the huge pile, unnoticed by the higher-ups.
That was the only plus point of his job. Besides the amazing colleagues, that is.
It was easy, stress-free and had little to no urgent deadlines. Jeonghan could spend the morning checking emails, add a few more lines to the report when Jihoon bugged him to do so, and then enjoy the rest of his working hours gaming and napping. He even made a small corner in their office into a sleeping zone, filled with the softest blankets and pillows. With the approval of the HR of course.
So with his mind set on not finishing the job, Jeonghan decided that a quick tea break was in favour. Grabbing one of the ceramic cups that he had not so discreetly stolen from the pantry, Jeonghan sauntered out of the room, followed by his team manager’s annoyed glance. Jeonghan knew that sooner or later, Jihoon would lecture him about mishandling company resources, but Jeonghan also knew the tiny man didn’t suck up to the higher-ups and secretly enjoyed the chaos.
Another great thing about working at this company: the pantry is stacked.
The fridge was always filled with a wide variety of drinks, from some fancy Starbucks that the humans seemed to love a lot to those soft drinks that the younger souls frequently consumed. The cabinets were also packed with many snacks, more than what most convenience stores down on Earth had, Jeonghan heard. Chips, sweets, and biscuits… Minhyun, a colleague who worked on the same floor, once joked that he could never lose weight given the amount of good food available in the building.
Jeonghan skipped down the hallway to the pantry, already thinking about what he should eat. Maybe something light, like some unsalted crackers, and some juice. It wouldn’t hurt to try to eat healthier, or at least not stuff his body with unnecessary amounts of sugar and salt.
When he turned the corner into the room, he was immediately greeted by Yeonjun and Soobin standing near the sink.
“Good afternoon Hyung!”
“I see you two are slacking off, huh?”
“Says the one who is standing in the same pantry as us.”
Those two had been one of the youngest to be recruited into their floor, along with the rest of their team. One could spot them amongst the sea of employees with ease — their youthful energy was definitely not to be missed, along with their bright neon hair. Jeonghan seriously wondered why his own platinum blond hair got him a warning from the senior manager when those two angels could walk around like highlighters.
Jeonghan went toward the fridge and grabbed the bottle of orange juice. It was almost empty.
“So what have you two been up to lately? Has Bang Si Hyuk been giving you all trouble lately?”
Soobin shrugged his shoulders.
“He hasn’t asked us to do much lately. Just the usual site visits and all.”
Site visits. One of the things that Jeonghan didn’t like about his job.
It wasn’t that he hated site visits. In fact, he would very much like to go on one and take a trip down to Earth to source for pure souls. To travel beyond the premises of his home and the office and do something other than typing away at the computer sounded like a dream. Jisoo and Seokmin were the lucky ones — they could disappear from the office for a week or longer whenever they were called on for these site visits and never needed to turn up in the office.
But not all jobs are ideal. Jeonghan just had to make do with his desk job. At least he had Seungkwan the trainee by his side to keep him company. That newcomer angel had so much gossip and interesting stories from his past life that there was never a dull day with him in the office.
Jeonghan did hope, however, that Jihoon would one day put in a good word for him and let him join Jisoo and Seokmin on their trips.
As Jeonghan poured the rest of the juice into his cup, Yeonjun continued the conversation.
“Speaking of site visits, I haven’t seen Jisoo hyung around lately. Was he assigned?”
“Yep. And he is reporting back to the office at four to pass Jihoon the assessment report.”
Yeonjun immediately brightened upon hearing the last part.
“Great! That means I can go ask him…”
“Ask me what?”
The three of them turned around and spotted the angel in question standing a couple meters away, holding his bag in one hand and resting the other on his hip. The two juniors ran up to Jisoo upon seeing him approach them, spilling a whole fountain of questions in his face and excitedly welcoming him back. Jeonghan was left standing by the side, smirking as he held his cup in one hand.
This kind of scene was not an unusual sight. Jisoo, with his gentleman personality and handsome face, was like a favourite among the younger staff on their floor. He always took the time to help them with any problems and answered their queries with a princely charm that swept everyone off their feet. If Jeonghan hadn’t known that man as well as he did, he would have been equally as captivated as the rest. Too bad he had seen every clumsy, goofy, and stupid side of this best friend of his over the past millennia. Jeonghan even had a whole list of blackmail-worthy tales to tell if the occasion ever arised.
After five gruelling minutes being drilled by the two junior staff, Jisoo soon waved goodbye to them as the duo headed back to their office to do their work. Jeonghan didn’t even look up from his drink as he shoved his hand into a jar behind him, reached for a chocolate cookie, and threw it at his tired-looking friend. With cat-like reflexes, Jisoo caught it with one hand and promptly tore open the packaging. One bite instantly made the weary man groan in satisfaction.
“You know me so well.”
“You literally only eat these cookies, even though there are two other flavours next to it.”
Jisoo kept gobbling down the food as he retorted.
“In my defense, you also agreed that the chocolate cookies are the only ones worth eating.”
“Touché.”
They talked for a while, slowly making their way back to their office with their respective food and drinks in their hands. Along the way, they were greeted by a few janitor ajummas who eagerly welcomed Jisoo back from his site visit. One of them even pinched his cheeks, complaining that he had not eaten enough, leaving the poor man with reddened cheeks for the rest of their way. Jihoon was sure to get a good laugh out of it.
Never once did the ajummas greet him though. Sure, he had been in office almost every day, seeing them was a daily occurrence. But the way they beamed at Jisoo like they were seeing an idol or an actor right in front of them. After all, it was one of the perks of going on site visits down to Earth. They were hard, yet important work, so naturally those who did it earned the admiration of all those around them. Another additional factor to Jisoo’s attractiveness.
It made Jeonghan want to go on site visits more and more. To join his best friend in the light rather than cower behind him. He wanted the chance to experience whatever cool things they did and come back like warriors returning from a won battle and share the joy, pain…or whatever…
Unknowingly, all the thinking made Jeonghan slow down in his footsteps, which caught Jisoo’s attention. The latter instantly knew what was wrong.
“Jeonghan-ah, your turn will come. The director isn’t a harsh man… He let me back on the field after all! Maybe he will change his mind soon…”
“Probably in another millennia or so.”
It wasn’t his fault that he had screwed up on his first site visit preparation. Maybe a bit of it. But the resulting fire was definitely not his fault. It was merely an indirect consequence of whatever prank he had decided to pull that day with his best friend. Yet here he was, a regular office employee while Jisoo got let off easy by their senior manager, owing to his ‘perfect attendance and excellent conduct’.
Yes, blame a man for falling sick a couple of days and running his mouth a little.
But Jeonghan still couldn’t find the heart to hate his friend for having what Jeonghan could not. Jisoo had been in the same predicament just a few centuries ago, waiting desperately in the wing for a chance so many had except them. And Jeonghan did admit that, compared to Jisoo, he was not the best employee in their department, not even on his team. Jeonghan was happy his best friend got to do what he wished.
It’s just that Jeonghan wished he was there too, right next to Jisoo, rather than just hearing tales from the man during their lunch breaks.
A hand then reached for his back, lying like a steadying support for his wavering pride.
“Don’t get all ruffled up about it okay? Jihoon is trying his best to get his approval, so trust him, hmm?”
Jeonghan knew better than to refute his best friend. If there was one trait they shared, it was their ruthlessly sharp tongues. Jeonghan wasn’t really in the mood to start bantering with Jisoo right outside their office door of all places.
When they finally opened the frosted glass doors to their office, Jeonghan was pleasantly surprised to find Seokmin already pestering Seungkwan at their tables. The taller of the two angels had his bag slung across his back as he wrapped his arms tightly around the shorter’s neck and whined incessantly for everyone to hear.
“Kwannie, how could you not miss me a single bit? I have spent my every waking moment thinking about your glorious lips, and every dream was filled with the image of your sexy thick ass— ”
Seungkwan on the other hand, did not have the same adoration as Seokmin on his face. Thunderclouds seemed to be swarming above his head, growing darker with every increasingly annoying plea from his deskmate.
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence. Have some decency at least!”
Seokmin stuck out his tongue.
“I was finished. ‘Sexy thick ass’ was what I wanted to say.”
Without missing a beat, Seungkwan leaped from his seat and began chasing Seokmin with a ruler he had somehow procured. The latter was laughing as he ran around the room, leaping over the boxes and chairs and even greeting Jisoo and Jeonghan, who were giggling at the amusing sight before them. Seungkwan eventually caught up, since Seokmin wasn’t trying very hard to escape in the first place, and smacked the latter’s head lightly with the ruler.
“Aish… I’ll let you off easy since you just came back, but next time, I’ll really hit you hard on the head!”
“If you all don’t quieten down and start doing your work, I’ll be the one to hit you hard on the head.”
The four of them turned to the source of the threat. All of the sudden, silence overtook the lively energy in their office as they watched their manager’s actions with cautious gazes.
Jihoon had not looked up from his computer at all. Sitting at his desk near the back, still clean and neat without a hair out of place, the team manager simply continued typing as if he had not just given them that stern warning seconds ago. There was no frown, yet no smile, and there were some faint frown lines forming on his forehead. Tense… Like the atmosphere in the room.
That means the boss is mad.
Quietly, they all shuffled back to their seats. Jeonghan and Seungkwan sat at their desks, clicking on random applications and typing on the search bar in hopes that the sound made it seem like they had work to do. Seokmin dropped his bag down on the floor without making a single sound and hurriedly pulled out a file with a bunch of papers he started sorting. Jisoo quickly walked up to Jihoon’s table and took out a yellow envelope.
“Here’s the assessment you asked for.”
Jeonghan couldn’t hear most of their conversation since they were speaking in hushed voices, but he was seated close enough to pick up the bits and pieces.
“It really doesn’t look good, boss…”
Jeonghan didn’t have to hear it to know it. From the sudden, yet gradual decrease in workload, it was more than apparent that the company was not doing well. Their regular sources were running dry, no longer able to keep up with the demands of the higher-ups. For the last three months, most angel teams were unable to meet the monthly target, which even led to some of them purposely failing to turn in their reports to avoid reprimand from the director. Or worse, the chairman himself.
They didn’t know what caused this unexpected shortage. It was never as bad as this. Jeonghan had worked with this company long enough to know a crisis when he saw one. And this was one massive problem.
“I spoke with the other managers… They think we should go all out…”
All out? What was that supposed to mean?
“Are you sure… Does he… approve?”
Jisoo was talking softer now, almost whispering straight into Jihoon’s ears. Despite only being able to see the back of his best friend’s head, the tight grip Jisoo had on the armrest and the straightened posture were signs that they had something far more serious on their hands than expected. Jihoon’s neutral face had even vanished from sight, replaced with a concerned bite on the lip.
Jeonghan simply had to know what was going on.
“Hyung, don’t.. Don’t disturb them! Hey! Stop moving!”
Seungkwan was whispering raspily to Jeonghan in hopes the latter would heed the younger’s word and focus on his work. Alas, no one could stop Jeonghan when he wanted to know something.
Discreetly, Jeonghan dragged his chair to the side, inching closer to where Jisoo was seated currently. Straining his back, Jeonghan leaned in and tried to pick up more of the conversation.
There was only one line he caught. One spoken by Jisoo.
“... We need everyone for the next trip. All five of us. Including Jeonghan.”
Jeonghan gasped upon hearing his own name being brought up. A wave of excitement rushed through his body like adrenaline. While he had been anticipating this day for decades, centuries even, he never knew the opportunity would just show up like that, right before him.
He didn’t quite understand what was going on, what was causing Jihoon and Jisoo to sound so distressed, but one thing was for sure.
He is finally going to have his chance.
~~~
“I know Jeonghan is a capable person. Believe me, I’ve wanted him to join you and Seokmin ever since the turn of the century. But the director will kill every one of us for letting Jeonghan back on the field… I will not allow it.”
“Jihoon, we really need the manpower. We cannot collect enough souls during site visits to meet the quota if it was just me and Seokmin.”
With a grunt, Jihoon slumped into his chair.
“Then bring Seungkwan. He needs the experience if we want him to stay as a permanent staff member. Or bring me along too. I don’t mind the overtime.”
“That’s still not enough. We need everyone for the next trip. All five of us. Including Jeonghan.”
After what felt like hours, when it had only been a mere three seconds of silence, the team manager brought his hands to the sides of his face and began massaging his temples shakingly.
Jisoo couldn’t help but pity the poor man. The three of them, Jeonghan, Jisoo and Jihoon had been the three original angels of this team. Having spent nearly an eternity together in these four walls, Jisoo had seen all of them go through some rather rough times.
Most of all, Jihoon had the unfortunate responsibility as their team manager, and everyone knew that position was the equivalent of torture. As their leader, Jihoon had to bear the burden of managing the expectations of the higher-ups without compromising their team’s wellbeing for years, especially when issues, like the problem they were currently discussing, arised. And it always took a huge toll on him physically. There was never a week where the team manager didn’t suffer from headaches and aches all over his body. He did all he could to protect the team and keep everyone working properly — even Jisoo suddenly felt a tinge of guilt for all the stunts he pulled over the years with his friend.
But seeing Jihoon looking so troubled and conflicted, there must have been some underlying issue that Jisoo was not aware of about Jeonghan’s ban from doing site visits. Did Jihoon know something else about the rule imposed on him, something even he didn’t know as Jeonghan’s best friend and closest confidante?
Whatever that was worrying Jihoon must also be quite bad. Jisoo had never seen his manager look so utterly torn, and all it took was one look at the report and a serious three-minute conversation.
Jisoo was about to try to defend his decision again, when Jihoon sat back up and leaned towards him. The latter let out a long, heavy sigh, as if he was about to take a big leap of faith.
“Fine, we will do this. Just this once, I’ll let him go onto the field, but no one else can know. I... We will make sure no one catches us. Just for good measure, all his work will be reported as yours, and I'll grant him sick leave for the most of the duration so that it wouldn't be too obvious. Talk to the janitors and the security guards and keep them out of our office. Say that there is some important seraphic prototype that needs to be locked inside for safekeeping. My orders.”
“Jihoon, I don’t think we need to take such precau—”
“I was held at knifepoint by the CEO when I tried to ask for approval to let Jeonghan do site work. At my fucking neck. At knifepoint. I don’t think anyone will ever let him out onto Earth even if we vouched for his character or bribed them or whatnot. I don’t know why the senior management is so vehemently against Jeonghan, but they are not on your side on this matter, Jisoo.”
Jisoo could feel a shiver run down his spine upon hearing Jihoon’s words. It was shocking, disturbing even, to hear something like that come out of their leader’s mouth. Who knew Jihoon had to go through so much just to be met with a dangerous threat? What was even going on with their senior management?
Jisoo wasn’t only worried about Jeonghan anymore. The masked fear in their leader’s eye made Jisoo doubt his decision little by little.
Jihoon leaned forward and pressed his mouth close to Jisoo’s ear.
The last part was almost inaudible.
“If you want to grant your dear friend’s wish to visit Earth, you better pray we don’t get caught.”