Reborn |seongjoong|

*11* The End

Hongjoong:

Seonghwa woke me up in the middle of the night. He told me to get dressed up quickly. He said nothing else. I followed what he told me. Soon, we left the house. Hwa took Yunho's car and drove us. It was my third time going that way, so I already knew where we were heading. Seonghwa's temple. We were going up in the mountain. And he said nothing. I was worried that he would do something unreasonable. With every kilometre we passed, my worries grew. Hwa was about to do something stupid.

Soon, we reached the final destination. Hwa parked the car and ordered me to get off. Then we went to that chamber under the temple. Maybe he wanted to wipe off my memories and disappear. I couldn't allow it. I grabbed his arm, trying to stop him from leaving my side.

"Let go of me, we have work to do," he said.

"NO! I won't let go of you!" I responded, ready to cry and beg.

"Hongjoong, my love, I won't leave your side. I'll stay with you until we die and even after that," Hwa told me, his voice was softer than silk. His eyes were overfilled with love. I couldn't believe that I thought he could leave my side.

"I need your help for the ritual," he said next. "I won't lie to you. This ritual is painful for both partners. Yunho didn't tell you. But you are the one who has to cut off my soul to pieces. Promise me you will do it to the end!"

"But I don't want to hurt you," I said, trembling. Yet, his eyes, were now filled with desperation. "I promise..."

Once I said it, he took the sword, left from my first death. Hwa then took my hand and cut my palm before cutting his. Placing our hands together, he spoke some unknown words. Within a second, gold chains showed out of thin air. They cuffed his arms and neck. I watched him stunned.

"You have to cut off the chains. Set me free," Seonghwa told me. "Remember, I love you."

"I love you too," I said. I was feeling hot tears running down my face.

I tried to concentrate on how much I loved Seonghwa. Before aiming for the first chain. It was around his left wrist. I aimed, above his hand, not wanting to hurt him. Under my blow, the chain shattered. Seonghwa left a scream of pain at that moment. More tears fell down my face, but it was too late to stop. I continued with his right arm. Another chain and another scream. My whole body shivered. It was to give up and drop the sword. I had to tighten my grip on it.

"I love you!" I mumbled, before aiming for the last chain.

The last chain around his neck was thicker than the previous two, but I had to do it. I raised the shaking sword. I had to hit it stronger. All my leftover strength went into that blow. The blade hit that chain, and both of them shattered into pieces. Once removed, Hwa creamed even louder before blacking out on the floor. My body collapsed too. We lay on the floor, powerless. The only thing I could do was pull him into my embrace. I wanted him to wake up in my arms, knowing that he is loved.

It took him maybe an hour or more to wake up. I wasn't in my right mind to count. The most important thing was that he woke up. I started to cry again. My lover was alright and alive.

"Why are you crying?" he asked, wiping away my tears.

"You are okay. I thought I had lost you," I cried in response.

"I'm alive and mortal," he smiled to calm me down. "We gonna spend our lives together."

Seonghwa:

I walked over to my lover, who was sleeping on the veranda. Even if it was summer, it was careless, at this age. That was why I brought him a blanket. I covered him in it and placed his head on my thigh. No matter how many years had passed, he was just as cute as always. Even if his skin got wrinkled over time. Even if his hair got grey. It didn't matter. My love, my Hongjoong, was still the pretty boy who stabbed me in the past life.

"Hwa?" Joongie called me. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you were sleeping so soundly," I giggled, gently caressing his grey hair with my old man's hand.

"I had a dream about us," he smiled sadly.

"What was it?"

"It was about that night fifty years ago. When you became mortal. It reminded me how much it hurt and how much that pain gave us in return."

Even fifty years later, Joong still remembered that day. Yet, he was right. That suffering gave us everything. Every happy and sad moment in our lives. The joy of growing older together. The pain of losing friends because of old age. It gave us the world.

I looked down at my lover. Then I leaned towards him and kissed him. Since I became mortal, all of our kisses were sacred moments.