[discontinued] 100% self indulgent wattpad-esque fic.
DO HANEUL had always seen these weirdly solemn men and women clad in black suits, staring fixedly as the world continued to revolve cluelessly. As the only one who could see them, she had been co...
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°°°
Do Haneul honestly didn't know how long she had been sitting there, in the Risk Management office, waiting for anything to happen and cure her boredom.
She looked down at the nearest table and her eyes fell upon the beautiful cursive letter the Jade Emperor had written for a certain "Koo Ryeon". It stated who she was or rather what she was—free labor, Haneul thought in disdain—as well as the reason for her sudden employment. The Jade Emperor hadn't told her, but Haneul was smart enough to figure it out : they needed a soul bonding contract to shut her mouth up when it came to Jumadeung.
They seemed to think being part of Jumadeung herself was reason enough for her not to anger the organization too much. Not that she would've spoken about it any way, everyone would've thought she was delusional.
As if they don't already know, Haneul's mind arrogantly supplied.
Since she was a little girl, she had always boasted about her ability to see people others couldn't: reapers. Quickly, she had started predicting impending deaths because of their presence, either it be because of old age or artificial accidents.
However, people were quickly growing scared and tired of her lies. They were continuously stuck between believing her and the deaths she predicted and shaming her for lying about things they couldn't see.
Her parents had brought her to a few medical professionals, and although nothing could physically explain why she saw reaper apparitions, she was closely followed by a few therapists. That is until they realized she would never get better, obviously.
Only an old woman, Dr. Bones, seemed stubborn enough to keep meeting her regularly. She said that although she wasn't certain she could make her hallucinations go away, she could at least help her live in harmony with them.
It's not much living with them if I'm the only one alive, isn't it? Haneul had mocked her once. Dr. Bones had simply smiled.
Haneul was finally snapped out of her thoughts when the door to the office slammed open. She could hear frantic shuffling and raised, angry, voices. She could recognize that voice anywhere.
"But Team Leader Koo! Haneul might be in danger—"
Junwoong's tirade came to an abrupt stop when his eyes fell upon her sitting figure.
She smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Jun—"
"Mr Park, kindnapped you! Don't you know how worried I was?" he cut her off, scurrying to where she was sitting and looking her up and down, seemingly looking for injuries.
"He took me to the Jade Emperor, complained about me being threat to Jumadeung."
"What—"
"So they employed me instead. Weird logic, huh?" Haneul tried to joke, ignoring Junwoong's angry look. "Anyways, I get to be with you, so it's all good."
Junwoong didn't speak.
Not a smile, not a knowing look.
No, his jaw was still tense, and his eyes still hard. "Where were you?"
"I told you, I was brought to the Jade Emperor!"
"No!" he shouted, before trying to control his breathing. "Where were you when Jaesoo needed help?"
"Well, I didn't know he needed help! He could've called me or somethi—"
"He tried to kill himself, Haneul!"
The girl stilled at his outburst, her heart sinking to the bottom of her chest.
"No, no, I saw Jaesoo today," she started meekly, as if trying to convince herself, before growing in intensity. "He was fine. We saw him today! You saw him today!"
"What do you think 'Risk Management' stands for," the pink haired lady from the hospital, most likely Team Leader Koo, spoke. She and the highlight-haired guy were sitting at their respective desks, trying not to interfere with the heated conversation too much."Namgung Jaesoo was our case. Our task is to bring down suicide risks."
Haneul couldn't answer. She felt as if her throat was steadily shutting up, less and less air seemed to reach her lungs. "I didn't— I didn't know... Is he alright now? Should— Should I go see him?"
Junwoong's hard gaze hadn't softened and Haneul felt bile rising in her throat.
Instead, he shook his head and sighed, before leaving the office.
