Invisible Halos | San

5

Jongho is a sad angel. Only recently, that is. Ever since the disappearance of his best friends, Soojung and Yeosang, he has not been able rest. It hasn't even been a full day since her name disappeared from register, along with her twin brother. The three angels grew up together and meant the world to each other. So why would they suddenly leave?

Of course, Jongho is no idiot. He is a proud gatekeeper of heaven's gates after all. Well, was. The angel could no longer hold pride in his title after he carelessly but unknowingly let the two of his best friends escape to Earth. What Jongho dislikes the most however, is the fact that as soon as an angel's name vanishes from the register, their existence is dismissed and eventually forgotten by everyone, since they're technically not angels anymore while on Earth.

Earlier on, Jongho appeared in front of the Kang twins' mother with his head hung in shame to deliver the bad news. "I'm very sorry Mrs. Kang, but both of your children's names just faded from the register. They are suspected to be on Earth, currently not as angels. I think we should do everything in our power to bring them back, I can work hard to persuade them-"

"That's quite a pity, Jongho. Thank you for delivering the news to me, but unfortunately there's nothing that can be done. Have a good day" Jongho's eyes widened in shock at the woman in front of him. He had always been close to the twins' whole family, including their mother. But now, she's acting as if she doesn't have a care in the world about her only children.

If only the sorrowful look in her eyes didn't give her true feelings away.

"Mrs. Kang, please don't lose hope! We can bring them back! I'm sure there was some sort of accident" She once again sadly shook her head. "There's no need to bring them back. It's too late, but it's okay! I'm sure they're enjoying themselves, so we should carry on with our lives up here too" Jongho stared at her in disbelief. Their very own mother acted like this only a few hours after they disappeared?

He gloomily made his way back to the gates to continue his job, and that's where he is right now.  "Cheer up, it wasn't your fault! Stuff like this happens all the time, you'll have to get used to it." His colleague beams. Jongho feels like rolling his eyes back into his skull but he decides to maintain his composture. "Of course it's my fault, I was on guard duty today. And how will I get used to this? They were the closest angels in my life and I don't know how I'll live without them!" His aggression causes his voice to grow into a shout.

The other angel gasps loudly, knowing well that this type of behaviour is not common with their kind. "I'm sorry, please don't-" He's interrupted once again as his colleague's demeanour changes into a much more serious one and the tip of his index finger starts to glow a vibrant golden colour. The glow gets brighter as the sun set further below the horizon.

"Unusual behaviour detected." He robotically speaks into his fingers. Oh no. Jongho is fully aware of what the other guard is doing. The 'glowing finger' is actually a means of communication with the higher positions, and Jongho is currently being reported, in a sense.

Before he can even react, giant wings come flapping down in front of him. "Follow me" the new angel in front of him simply states in a tone of authority, and Jongho isn't in the mood to face the consequences of disobeying orders so he follows. 

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"The commander of your section will arrive shortly. Please wait." 

Jongho awkwardly stands in a small little room with red velvet covering the walls as soon as the guard leaves. He observes the golden lining on everything, including the table in front of him.

A shiver runs through him as he recalls the commander. He's only ever had an encounter with him once, and that was when he was first recruited in the job. He had always been intimidated by him as he let out an overpowering aura; something many angels don't have. In fact, most angels don't have negative emotions at all, and those who do are seen as anomalies and are instantly sent to be taken care of, just as Jongho is right now. These kinds of angels are a rarity, but as soon as they're discovered, a spell must be placed on them to turn them "normal" again.

Jongho had been living with his negative emotions in secret for his whole life, and he curses himself out in his mind for letting himself get caught. However, angels of his type are able to notice when other angels aren't as perfect as they'd like to seem as well; and his commander is one of them. He has also been living like this in secret, catching others of his kind for years with no remorse.

Jongho hates this system so much. He shouldn't know of the feeling of hate according to their rules.

"So you're not fully pure, huh" A shorter angel steps through the big daunty doors in front of Jongho.

"Hongjoong, Sir. Just get this over with quickly" he hisses through gritted teeth, no longer caring about anything since he'll be brainwashed anyway.

"No. First I want to know why you let yourself be revealed. If I'm not mistaken, you've been hiding your true identity for as long as you can remember? I know you're not stupid Jongho, you know I'm like you. I know what you've had to go through." Jongho's eyes widen. Right, of course he'd know that much. Jongho remains put, not moving an inch of his body.

"Please tell me what caused you to act up, I might reconsider my actions if I feel like it was justified."

Jongho's inner battle rages on. Should he bother revealing his personal feelings to a stranger, who will probably not even care? Would it even make a difference in the end? He honestly felt tired and just wanted everything to happen faster.

Alas, he decides to explain himself. "My two closest friends escaped to Earth and I want to get them back. I've been feeling so upset about it but no one cares, not even their own mother. I accidentally lost my temper when another guard ignored my sadness too. Now can we please hurry up?"

Hongjoong freezes in his place. "They... escaped?" Jongho's foot impatiently taps on the plush carpet as his commander's head hangs in deep thought. "Yes, that's what I said. Everyone's saying they can never return, but I'd give anything to be with them again."

Hongjoong's head whips up and he starts to dash out of the room, murmuring incoherent words under his breath. Jongho suddenly feels very confused. What should he do now? Has he been let away with his actions? He thinks about his words from earlier.

I'd give anything to be with them again.

Does he even have anything to lose? At this rate, he'll be brainwashed and he'll have to go back to being a guard once again. He just wants to see his friends.

So he finally makes a decision while standing in the empty, overly decorated room.

He's going to escape to Earth, find his friends and spend his life with them.

A/N
I'm pretty sure this is one of my favourite chapters (both to write and to read) so I hope you liked it!
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Also I know I shouldn't get attched to my own characters but Jongho... (ﾉ' з ')ノ♡