The Cupid Tragedy

I. The Accident

Jo Jinho, 145 years old.

He sat at the very top of a skyscraper with his legs dangling off the edge and fluffy brown hair blowing in the wind. It had been a rather easy-going day and most of the Cupids were wrapping up their work. Cupids generally avoided working late into the night because it was harder to aim their arrows properly in the dark. That and dealing with drunk people was a nightmare. Even though he had just finished a big case, Jinho activated another arrow by drawing it out of his quiver and waited for the details to come through his phone from headquarters. He had a feeling he wasn't going to start on it until at least the next day but he was always curious as to who the next arrow belonged to and the target. Some cases were sweet and simple, like childhood friends or work colleagues, but others, not so much. Jinho felt his phone vibrate and he opened up the message.

"Jung Wooseok!?" Jinho exclaimed with a big smile on his face. He immediately scrolled across to see the target.

"YEESSS KINO!" He couldn't contain his excitement as soon as he saw Kino's bright smiling face on his phone.

A case of true love occurs when two people have been shot with each other's arrow - a love approved by the Fates. In the event that only one arrow has been shot and not reciprocated, the one-sided love will last until another arrow is created and redirected to a different target.

Jinho had shot Kino's arrow at Wooseok, the target, a few years back when they were still in middle school and had been waiting for Wooseok's arrow ever since. It was also during this time that Jinho found out Hyunggu's self-appointed nickname, Kino, which was what he preferred to be known as. Jinho was the type of Cupid to get attached to the humans he was responsible for and he had fondly watched over Kino, worried he would be stuck in a one-sided love with Wooseok for too long. Excited, Jinho wanted to find Kino right away so he can shoot Wooseok's arrow into him. The most difficult part of a Cupid's job is tracking the location of targets. Whilst they are able to track the owners of the arrows, Cupids often have to stalk the owners in order to find out information of their lives by blending in as a human, hoping that they will be able to find the possible location of targets. Luckily for Jinho, he already had access to Kino's location from his previous case.

With the cold breeze brushing against his face, Jinho hopped across the rooftops of the buildings in Seoul and in a matter of seconds, he was standing on top of the high school gymnasium. However, his cheery mood was immediately ruined upon seeing Hui who also happened to be there, most likely for work.
"Ugh, it's you." Hui and Jinho sneered simultaneously at each other. Lee Hwitaek, or Hui as he liked to be called, was another Cupid assigned to the same district as Jinho. The two weren't very fond of each other, mainly because they competed for the top ranking of Cupids in the district. Hui was a few years younger than Jinho, at 137 years old, but was quite talented in his occupation as a Cupid. Jinho spotted Kino walking right beside Wooseok alongside the outside of the fence which enclosed the sports field. With the romantic evening sky, it was the perfect setting for an arrow to be shot, especially when the target was right next to the owner. I can't miss this opportunity! I have to shoot the arrow now!

"I have important business to attend to so I don't have time to deal with you." Jinho said haughtily as he readied his bow and Wooseok's arrow. Hui let out a baffled laugh at Jinho blatantly ignoring him and put his hands on his hips, "Okay, for the record, I'm pretty sure I was here first," A small smirk crept across his face, "or maybe I just didn't see you." Even though he was only of average height himself, Hui was always quick to take a jab at Jinho's short height. Ignoring him, Jinho took a deep breath and drew the arrow back, carefully taking aim at Kino who was slowly walking with a cute unknowing smile on his face. Steady...
"Well, with such bad eyesight, maybe you should consider moving to an easier district." Jinho said sarcastically. He was about to release the arrow when suddenly, Hui popped his head right beside Jinho and startled him.
"Sorry, what did you say?" Hui said with a blank face. Jinho had already lost his concentration and lowered his bow and arrow. He turned his head and glared at Hui who had a goofy eye smile on his face.
"I'm warning you, Hui. Don't disturb me right now or you will regret it." Jinho raised his bow up again, ready to take aim at Kino once more. Hui thought about annoying Jinho further but couldn't be bothered and coincidentally, his phone vibrated. Oh, yeah, I just activated a new arrow...