salt || jikook

twenty

jin, jungkook, hoseok, and taehyung entered through a golden gate of heaven. they followed a pearly road, leading to the building where the council typically held their meetings. they all had big, feathery white wings, typical from what you would envision angels to look like from the books or movies. a long white robe, with baby blue detailing appeared on jin the moment he entered heaven. as a member of the council, it was like his uniform.

"we've no time to waste..." jin said, entering the building, holding the door opened for the angels to walks inside. once the door was shut behind them, the meeting had begun.

jin took his seat at a long table, where the other council members sat. jungkook stood in front, while the other two angels were off to the side. hoseok didn't have much of a purpose there in the meeting itself, but he wanted to be there for support to his friends, especially for taehyung. he was training to be the next member of the council, so sitting in these meetings were beneficial to him anyway.

"welcome jungkook," a female voice said.

"lady clara," jungkook said bowing his head.

"please just call me clara... i assume you're familiar with the rest of the council?"

"yes," jungkook said, with a nod.

"good... now let's have a talk yes? about your recent activities on earth, you've been studying well hm?" she asked.

"i've been trying, my scores are well in school, i've been practicing in the medical field," jungkook said truthfully.

"right, you wanted to do more support than the actual work such as leading people from temptations... which is all well and good, as long as you can do both just as well," she said, her voice becoming a little more stern.

"i agree," jungkook said plainly. he didn't understand the current direction of the conversation. it seemed like small talk, although he'd never been called up to heaven this way. he knew the eventual end.

"so how has your work been? as an angel not as a doctor," she asked in a calm, soothing tone.

"i think..." jungkook said, thinking of how he could word the recent events. he couldn't flat out say he fell in love with a demon, even more so had sex with said demon— probably wasn't the most appropriate thing for this time. "i think i had trouble, a lot of it... i admit i've been wrong..."

"you're been wrong?" a male voice said. his name was minjae, he was one of the elder council members, who planned on giving up the position in the foreseeable close future. the main reason they were grooming angels like hoseok to take up these positions. "how do you mean wrong?"

"i've made mistakes," jungkook mumbled after the booming voice of the elder. jin remained silent, not wanting to interject with a biased opinion toward his friend.

"what kind of mistakes darling?" clara asked, her voice still sweet and calming, despite minjae's gruff deep one.

"i believe i've..." jungkook said, looking over to taehyung and hoseok. taehyung's gaze was elsewhere but hoseok looked back with sad eyes. "i think i'm not meant to be here, my sins have only piled up," he admitted.

"you? heaven's prodigy?" minjae said, somewhat mockingly. clara gave the elder a glare. she was always fond of jungkook and never appreciated those who tried to talk him down, despite his achievements.

"i am no prodigy after what i've done against god and every created angel. i've been tempted by the enemy, i should be struck down," jungkook said, kneeling on one knee and bowing his head. he was expecting a burning fate similar to what jimin had suffered. he prepared himself for it and hoped for it. he felt wrong, that the world wasn't fair.

the council exchanged silent glances. jin finally spoke up.

"you could always repent, jungkook," he said.

jungkook's eyes widened as they stayed on the wooden floor beneath him.

"i can't do that," he said in a shaky voice.

"why's that?" jin asked. taehyung finally looked up at jungkook. this time it was jungkook's eyes that couldn't meet his.

"kookie no..." taehyung mumbled to himself. "they're giving you another chance... why are you doing this...?"he asked quietly, as if jungkook could hear him in his head. however the younger had no idea of the message taehyung was trying to convey.

"because... to repent means you turn away from the sins you committed, it means you're filled with regret for them..." he said, now standing on his two feet. "i don't regret what i did," he said confidently, his voice, now bouncing off the walls of the room.

he seemed tough, but inside his heart was racing. he swallowed the dryness of his mouth, as he awaited a response.

"jungkook, you know where this path leads you, the path you're bowing to now, you realize it means eternal separation—"

"from god and heaven," he said finished clara's words. she sighed, adjusting the round glasses that sat on the bridge of her nose. with a heavy heart, she began to speak again.

"you were never fully angel... you know that, dear?" clara said, as she removed herself from her seat, and walked down the staircase that separates herself from jungkook. "but i always saw a light in you..." she said sadly.

she slowly sauntered towards jungkook, approaching with a small, aching smile on her lips. he was taller than she was, but she reached up and out a warm hand on his cheek.

"i saw the potential in you, i convinced the council in your favor, i was the one who deemed you a prodigy," she said while the breath i was and sanded back to choke her up. she filled before speaking again.

"but this... i never imagined the day where the other half could take over you," a silent tear rolled down her face. jungkook inhaled deeply, holding his breath as to not cry on his own.

she was like a mother to him. she always believed in him and he knew it. jungkook was raised in heaven, practically by this beautiful, golden haired lady, just as he was her own. angels usually would grow up without feeling the comfort of a family, just as demons were. some would struggle with isolation watching as they went to earth, surrounded by those with families. they would begin to want a family of their own, not realizing angels as a whole are a family.

but jungkook had the luxury of never feeling isolated. he never had the thought once. clara raised him like her own son, despite knowing he had a tainted half. she looked past the small evil that resided in his heart and watched as it grew larger. still she never left the boy to feel alone. it was like he had a true family.

"everything i've done for you... was inevitably wasted away, it was my fault for ignoring everything that made you yourself and i'm sorry," she said sadly.

"you shouldn't apologize..." he mumbled.

"deep down, i knew this day would come... but i never wanted to believe it, i was ignorant to force you into this life, and now this is more painful than letting you go years ago would've been..." she shut her eyes and looked down. her hand fell from his face as her tears strolled down.

"please..." he mumbled, looking at the ground.

"jungkook, from this day on, you are cast out of heaven."