SHADOWLESS |seongjoong|

#9#

Seonghwa:

After Yunho and Hongjoong explained the situation, I had no idea what to do. According to their words, a part of my soul was missing along with my shadow. And that missing piece could lead to losing myself. I could lose control over my own body and go berserk. Yunho mentioned that in such a state, something else can take over my body and destroy the remaining of my soul. In his words, I was an easy target for high-level spirits.

On the other hand, reuniting with my shadow would be dangerous. The spiritual energy was strong enough to kill me on the spot if my being rejected it. I had no idea what to do. The risk was high in both cases.

I needed some time to think. Some time to stay alone with my thoughts. Even if I didn't have much time left, I spent alone in my room. I'm just going back and forth between my options. Leave my body to an evil spirit or die with my shadow. I didn't have much choice, did I? Ugh, my brain hurt just thinking about it. There was no way I would leave my body to an evil creature. Yet, I was scared of dying. My mind was a mess. Then I got distracted. Someone knocked on my door. It was a soft knock, different from the way my brother did it. I stood up to open the door.

To my surprise, on the other side was Hongjoong. He was wearing a different outfit and held a cup of tea. That was a new side of his.

"Can I come in?" Hongjoong asked me. He was unusually polite. I allowed him inside.

Once inside my room, Hongjoong gave me the teacup and sat on my bed. He was looking around like a curious kid. I observed him in my own confusion. Why was acting so friendly all of a sudden? Actually, he has been acting weird ever since we were in that shrine. Somehow, he tried to stay closer to me. I couldn't understand why was the sudden change. Before he couldn't look at me.

"What do you want?" I asked him.

"I want to talk. Let's forget for a moment our nature and talk like two normal people," Hongjoong said.

I had no idea why he was doing all of that. But for some reason, I agreed. I needed to speak with someone without thinking about the supernatural aspect of my existence. Even, if it was a grim reaper. So, I sat beside Joong and prepared for a conversation.

"Seonghwa, I know it's hard for you at the moment. We found a lot of information and it's hard to process it all out. Not to mention, the deadly side of that all. But no matter what you decide to do, know that there are people by your side. Your brothers will be with you, me too. If you decide to go for your shadow, know that I'll do my best to find a safer way to do it," Hongjoong said. As he spoke to me, I could feel something different in his voice. There was that note of care and warmth. Not to mention that he was holding my hand for a while now. Something in him had changed in that shrine.

"Thanks, Hongjoong," I smiled softly at him.

After that conversation, we changed the topic. I needed to ease my mind from the current events. We spoke about random topics that came up in our minds. It felt relaxing and comforting in a way. For the first time, I could see Hongjoong in a different light. He wasn't the cold grim reaper I knew. He was just a man my age. I learned about his passions in fashion and music. It made me understand him a little better. I understood why he was so cold towards mortals like me. Our conversation made me think from a different perspective. And I realized that there were more things in life I wanted to experience. I wanted to live. I wanted to reunite with my missing piece and live a long life.

"Joong, I want to do it. I want to be united and live," I told him. A genuine smile showed on his face.

"I'll help you do it!" Joong responded.

At that moment, I felt the hope inside of me and him. I acted on impulse and hugged him, but he didn't pull away from me. He hugged me back. From there, we spoke about my missing piece. We agreed it would be difficult. And he mentioned the dangers I would encounter. In his words, my home wasn't a safe space. Evil spirits could follow me home and try to take over my body. For now, it was alright, but soon I wouldn't be able to keep defending my body. That was why Joong suggested moving in with him for the time being. His home was safer. No spirit would go into a reaper's home. I agreed without thinking. If I could stay safe until we found a safer way, then I had no problem with it.