Final Departure

1. License To Escort

They claim that when you die that your life flashes before your eyes. This fact is true, but not for the reasons one thinks. It's not so that you can be sentimental and cherish the best moments of your life. It's so you can have one final goodbye; a final departure from life to death as everything you ever know fades to black. This is true of all souls, and this was what was true for Kim Seokjin when he died.

He entered the afterlife not remembering anything about his human life on earth. Essentially, death was a blank slate for him. He had been offered a choice when he had first arrived to rest or to be of use in the afterlife due to how he had lived life on Earth. He had decided that he would help escort souls to the afterlife in order to be helpful. His memories may be gone, but his kind heart remained. Death didn't change a person's character.

The only real problem Kim Seokjin faced was that he was too kind. He was having a hard time passing his final grim reaper exam because of it. He watched souls he had entered with leave and be replaced by a new cycle of souls. As the day of the next exam came up, Seokjin found himself once again studying the manual as if his afterlife depended on it.

"You're too nice," said a voice in front of Seokjin.

Lifting his head, Seokjin saw one of his fellow grim-reapers-in-training standing there looking at him with an incredulous expression on his face.

"You can study all you want, but you don't have the personality of a grim reaper," continued the man draped in black before him. "You're going to be stuck here forever like some sort of personal purgatory because you're so stubborn."

Seokjin wanted to say something in retaliation to the nasty words hurled his way but didn't. Instead, he just bent his head back down to study the text before him again. He was sure it was public knowledge by now that he had taken this exam several times and had never once passed. Seokjin actually lost count of how many times he had taken it because he basically took it what felt like every other day. He knew all the rules in the manual by heart - but the minute the test was before him along with the equally nasty looking instructor - his mind went blank.

"Ferell, leave him alone," said the voice of the head mistress, causing Seokjin's lips to curl upwards in a small glimmer of a grin. "Unless you would like me to mark your score down before you even start the exam."

"No, Madame Life. I'm sorry."

She let out a humph in return as Seokjin listened to the man walk off. Lifting his head after, he saw that Madame Life was still standing before him. She was dressed the way she was when he always saw her. Her white floral dress looked as graceful and elegant as a wedding gown, flowing about her arms and down the entire length of her curvaceous body. Her blonde hair was twirled up like a soft serve ice cream cone; the top decorated with a variety of flowers. The sparkling glacier blue eyes on her China doll like face narrowed in on Seokjin.

"Seokjin, may I have a word with you in my office please?"

Seokjin felt panic creep through his body as he nodded his head. He half fumbled the manual shut to the point of almost dropping it on the tiled ground at his feet. He put the manual on the bench he'd been sitting on before quickly getting up and following after her.

The Soul Academy was the most elaborate place that Seokjin had ever been before (though - in fairness - he couldn't remember ever having been anywhere else). For housing legions of grim reapers, it was a place that blossomed with hope. Everything as far as the eye could see was made of white marble that was elegantly erected by some master craftsman. The whiteness was accented with beautiful flowers and plants so that the place gave one hope and a sense of being alive. Seokjin could hear his footsteps clicking across the white tile as he hastened his pace to not lose track of Madame Life as she rounded a corner and ended up in her office.