How Much Is a Soul Worth? | Minsung

Halftone.

I never told Jisung this.

But there was someone else there that day.

Jisung couldn't sleep, so I closed his eyes for him until morning came. I told him I would wake him up when the first spots of sunlight hit his face. He didn't answer, only nodded before laying comfortably on the couch.

Once he was out, my eyes left his small, sleeping frame, and onto the dark corner of the living room. The street lights from outside didn't reach past the toes of his shiny dress shoes, the rest of his broad body engulfed in the shadows. Defined face, sharp eyebrows, dark narrow eyes.

He had his hands shoved in his pockets, glancing at his watch. He carried a small book with him, writing something between the pages.

I've seen him once or twice in my lifetime. Around 1950, I think. During the war. Reapers were always busiest then. I think I've killed one or two of his friends; I don't know. Honestly, they were all the same to me.

They do nothing but mindless work. They don't eat or drink, only sleep to refill their energy for the day after. And if demons lived in the dark, and angels in the light, then reapers were the halftone in between. They were not the embodiment of good or evil. They were trapped within a gray area where their morals were stripped from them.

His name was Lee Minho. I think you've met him once before- or maybe you know him more than I do. Maybe you don't know him at all- I should've asked if you know this reaper. But all entities have a mutual hate and respect for each other. We stayed out of each other's way, so meeting him in the same room was surprising for me at first. Reapers knew how each human dies, even those containing contracts. So why he was here now?

"I thought something smelled," He scoffs at me, shutting the book and eyes flickering up. Even though we avoided each other, there was always this disdain between each entity. We don't like reapers because they're too uptight. Reapers don't like angels because they act like they're higher than them and only end up giving them more paper work. Angels don't like us because we're the embodiment of all evil and so on. 

"What are you doing here?" I asked, humming and shoving my hands in my pockets. I sauntered over to the kitchen, opening a cupboard or two to examine any of my client's possessions. There wasn't much. Some cookies, instant coffee, food that humans eat to regain small spurts of energy. 

"I could as the same for you," Minho replies, his eyes never leaving me. If you'd seen him, you'd laugh as I did. He looked more like a demon, hiding in the shadows, eyes feral almost. The only thing he was missing was red slit eyes. Maybe he'll make a worthy addition to the group.

But no, I knew why he was here. I mean- Jisung. The kid was mere seconds away from the afterlife. If his soul wasn't so desperate he'd be dead by now. This was kind of a last-minute thing, and I could see where the reaper was coming from. Actually, no, I didn't. But I didn't care.

Minho shut the book, walking over to the kitchen and stuffing it in his suit jacket. He searched a cupboard or two, finally finding the bottle of liquor that hid silently in the corner, pouring it into a glass and taking a sip.

"Why?" I laughed at him, my eyebrows raising. "Gives you memories?"

"We're running short on grim reapers because of the likes of you," he scoffs, rolling his eyes. He hisses when he downs another shot. "It was his time to become a grim reaper- you just gave me a whole day's work of paperwork."

"Do I care?" I mocked him, leaning over and dramatically pouting my lips. Minho stared at me with his cup of liquor. Maybe he was on the verge of splashing it on my face, and I momentarily wondered how far I could push this reaper. "The early bird gets the worm. If you wanted him, you should've gotten to him first."

And indeed he should've. You know how competitive I get, Seungmin. I didn't notice it back then, but the reason my instinct led me to Jisung was because of his soul. And clearly, the reason I stayed was because I was trying to figure out what it was. I guess Minho saw this too. Because when I said that, he placed the glass on the counter and stared at me. He wanted me to speak further, to continue indulging him. But I couldn't give that satisfaction. Us demons are creatures of pride, after all. 

"Today he was supposed to die," Minho murmurs. 

"I don't care," I punctuated with a smile, returning to Jisung's side and sitting on the other side of the couch, by the younger's feet. He was sleeping much more soundly, despite the unbearing aura that came from Minho. Let me tell you, grim reapers don't have a history of killing demons as we do to them. But I do believe that they could, if prompted. And I also believe Minho could easily do so to other demons. A part of me wanted to indulge him further. 

But by the time I turned around to mock him again about Jisung, he had already disappeared.