Invisible String

The End

Joong-Gil was never someone who believed in love. To him, it was something trivial and unimportant. How could he love someone unconditionally, as humans liked to talk about? Love someone enough to be willing to die for the beloved?

It was ridiculous. It was what he repeated to himself every time he collected a life, every time he witnessed extremely dramatic and exaggerated farewells.

And then Si-eun came.

He still found it strange when he thought about love. However, there was no denying that this feeling was real. And that what he felt for Si-eun was undeniably love. Maybe not in its purest, perfect, docile form. But he loved her.

He missed her.

It had been six years since everything had happened. Six years since she had returned to the human world.

Six years since Si-eun had forgotten everything that had happened.

And every year, since his farewell, he visited her once a year, on her birthday.

Only because he needed to see her.

He needed to hear her voice. To know that she was okay.

And to know that she existed and was not just his imagination.

He walked down the aisles of the small convenience store, picking up the first item he saw in front of him. From a distance, Joong-Gil watched as Si-eun finished serving the last customer in the store. And when only the two of them were left in the place, he approached.

She looked at him for a moment. He stood motionless, unable to look away from her.

Si-eun was still beautiful. Older, but still beautiful. Her hair was short now, and she did not wear as much make-up as before. But, she guessed that purple was still her favorite color, from the clothes she wore.

She held out the plastic bag with her purchase, staring at him in confusion when he didn't react.

Joong-Gil shook his head, taking the bag.

- I'm sorry, but... have we met? You look familiar.

He looked at her, feeling a lump forming in his throat, and then denied it.

- No, I don't believe so.

- Oh," she widened her eyes. - Sorry. Have a good evening, then.

She smiled, and for the thousandth time that night, he felt a twinge in his heart.

As he left the store, he looked at her one last time.

- I miss you. - he whispered, knowing that she would not hear him.

Fifteen years.

It had been fifteen years since Si-eun had returned to the world of the living.

And since then, Joong-Gil tried to keep himself busy, avoiding thinking about her.

That way, it seemed that time went by faster.

His relationship with Koo Ryeon had improved, and he could say that they had a kind of friendship. Sometimes, when he felt lonely and didn't want to be alone with his thoughts, he would seek her out. And so they would spend hours talking about anything.

Bo-Yun also helped him to distract himself. The girl seemed to really like him, and he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy her company.

It was nice to have someone to talk to. It made him feel less uncomfortable being in his office.

- So, - Bo-Yun sat down on the sofa, smiling cheerfully. - I met a guy from the editing team, and he is so cute!

Joong-Gil shook his head, rolling his eyes.

- You always say that when you meet someone new.

Bo-Yun looked at him offended.

- That's not true. You're the one who says it every time, and you always badmouth them.

He smiled at this.

- And I never lie. None of them are good enough for you.

She huffed, pushing him away slightly.

- You sound like my father. - She rolled her eyes.

Joong-Gil laughed.

They sat in a comfortable silence.

- It's today, isn't it?

Bo-yun's soft voice roused him from his thoughts.

He didn't look at her.

- Yes.

- Will you be the one doing the collecting?

Joong-Gil denied it.

Today was the day of Si-eun's death, and he definitely could not witness it.

Nor could he see the despair and sadness in her eyes when she realized that she was dead.

He thought about what Koo Ryeon had told him a few years ago.

"She asked me to return her memories when she died," Koo Ryeon looked at him.

He frowned, feeling something like hope grow in his chest.

"And you can do that?"

She denied.

"No. I'm not allowed to do something like that," she watched his countenance wilt. "But, I have spoken to the Director. She's the only one who could comply with Si-eun's request."

- If she decides to become a reaper, we could have a party to celebrate! - Bo-Yun suggests, noticing Joong-Gil's grim look. - And obviously, we would have to make the decor all purple.

He smiles at this.

- By the way, since when do you like purple too? - She arched an eyebrow, looking at Joong-Gil's purple tie. - Is it because it reminds you of her? How cute!

- Okay, it's late. You'd better go. - He tried to deflect, getting up.

She pouted, but nodded and stood up.

It was then that the door to his office suddenly opened and Koo Ryeon came in, looking at him in exasperation.

- Si-eun... is here. And she has recovered her memories.

Joong-Gil's eyes widened.

- Where is she?

- In my office.

He didn't wait for her to finish speaking and teleported away.

Opening his eyes, Joong-Gil looked around the office of the prevention team, and felt the world stop when he saw Si-eun chatting happily with Ryung-gu.

She looked at him, and he could have sworn there were stars in her eyes by the way they sparkled.

Joong-Gil walked over to her, hugging her tightly, afraid that if he let go, he would lose her again.

- Are you crying? - was the first thing she said.

He denied it, not trusting himself to answer aloud.

Si-eun turned away, and brought a hand to her face, wiping away her tears.

- It's all right, dear. No need to cry.

Joong-Gil tried to control his tears, but it was useless. When Si-eun realized that he wouldn't stop crying, she hugged him, trying to calm him down.

- I am here. And I won't leave you again.

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A/N:

And we've reached the end of the story! Thank you so much to everyone who has followed me this far and shown their support, whether through comments or votes. I appreciated all the interactions I had with you.

 I decided to leave the ending open because I think it's better for you to imagine what happens in the end. 

Thank you! 

I will miss you guys 💞