twelve hours » jaeseong

[before]

Jaeyoon loved love.

He loved how he saw it in other people's eyes, he loved how it made the world more beautiful, and he loved when it went right. He loved how it looked.

Of course, not many people could say that they see love. Very few, in fact. And Jaeyoon just happened to be one of those few.

Mortals could feel love, sure, but they were immune to its true beauty. For love wasn't an emotion; it was a tangible entity.

And Jaeyoon wasn't mortal.

Because of this, he knew all about love, its myths and facts.

Cupid was a myth.

Love at first sight was a myth.

Any kind of "accidental" love was a myth.

"Cupid" was known as Agape. Agape didn't run around and shoot people with arrows to make them fall in love. He relied on the amorini, or Jaeyoon's kind, to do that. They weren't equipped with bow and arrows, though. They were equipped with true sight. Only they could see love; their talents were simply called visualization.

They also weren't little naked cherubs, as displayed incorrectly (and rather frustratingly) in Renaissance art.

They were just like mortals (minus, of course, the wings), and Jaeyoon had been living in the mortal world for a few years. A few years too many.

He hated the mortal world. His wings disappeared, melting into his back, but he still felt weighed down and heavy without them.

Love was more dull there. It made him slightly dizzy to visualize it; it took more effort because in the mortal world, love didn't flow as freely. It was viscous, like honey.

But Jaeyoon liked honey.

Agape visited him on a Saturday, just appeared right in the middle of the living room of Jaeyoon's crappy apartment. Almost scared him to death. Would've, if he could die.

Amorini were immortal, ageless, but there was a catch.

"Agape, what can I do for you?" Jaeyoon asked, bowing. Agape sat, looking out of place in Jaeyoon's apartment. Maybe it was his ebony skin and ghostly wings. Jaeyoon didn't know why, but they never fully manifested in the mortal world. If they did, they'd probably blow what little cover Agape had. Jaeyoon's back twinged where his wings would normally burst out.

"You have spent three years in the mortal world. It's been something like a century since you last visited, right?"

Jaeyoon nodded. So much had changed. The "world" was actually layers and layers of planes all piled on top of each other. Jaeyoon was native to the Coelum plane, where love and love's workers existed. Visiting the mortal plane after being in his own was always a shock.

He preferred not to think about the other planes.

"I think you're ready for your next mission," Agape said. His deep voice sent chills down Jaeyoon's spine. His body became taut, coiled with the excitement of a new mission. It had been a few decades since his last one.

Of course, it wasn't because it was a failure. He wouldn't be here if it had been.

Agape snapped his fingers and a file fell out of the air, landing neatly in his fingers. Despite all of Jaeyoon's coveted skills in visualization, he had always been a clumsy manifester, and he was jealous of how cool and easy Agape made it look. Agape handed the file to Jaeyoon.

"This case is almost insultingly easy, I know," he said as Jaeyoon scanned the file's contents. "But you're the most accustomed to the mortal world. And you've been idle for a bit; this should get you back in shape."