Chapter Text
It must feel great to be loved by a lot of people, one must wonder.
But by being a recipient of such immense love, Kwon Soonyoung is also the subject of envy.
For Soonyoung, however, this must just be the consequence of the great gift bestowed to him at birth. He doesn’t think much of it, though, especially when the love he receives is far greater than the envy directed towards him. Whether it be superficial or not, there’s no reason to refuse such affection, especially when it proves to be beneficial to him and the people he values. In this harsh world, Soonyoung has learned to gear up, take everything he could use as a weapon, and be on standby.
And in this battle called life, Soonyoung’s mightiest weapon is his face.
Soonyoung comes out from their manager’s office, his colleagues seemingly on their toes as they wait for him to deliver the news, hands clasped together tightly as if praying that whatever words come out from his mouth the next second, they should be something good…
or else, their Friday is totally ruined.
“How was it?” Doyoung scurries towards him, but Soonyoung is having too much fun seeing his colleagues on the edge of their seats. Friday night, after work, the audit department had planned to go straight to the bar they booked to celebrate a successful end of busy season, but things happened and their manager ordered them to stay the night and print all the audited financial statements of their, not one, but fifty clients! They only have two printers in the office, by the way, so the sudden order must be out of spite, because the manager found out he wasn't invited at all.
“I know it’s my fault that I accidentally told him about the party we organized and we didn’t even think of inviting him,” Soonyoung glares at Doyoung, as if telling him, at least you know it’s your fault. “But please, my dearest best friend in the whole wide world, if my bladder gets damaged from holding my pee for too long,” Soonyoung notices how red his friend’s face has gotten, cold sweat trickling down from the top of his head to the expanse of his cheeks. While he could be very mean sometimes, he still knows his limit.
“...I’m holding you accountable.” It’s an empty threat, Soonyoung knows, and it’s not like this one time would lead to the destruction of his friend’s bladder. “You’re not getting a free pass just because you’re my friend.”
Instead of answering in words, Soonyoung smiles widely and raises his hand, holding a thumbs up. “Fuck, finally, I can pee.” With those words, Doyoung sprints towards the nearest restroom. Soonyoung shakes his head in amusement—how did he even become friends with him when they’re two polar opposites? But he guesses, that’s just how friendship works.
Doyoung comes back, relief plastered all over his face. He goes straight to Soonyoung’s workstation, draping his arm over his shoulder, fingers pinching Soonyoung’s plump left cheek. Soonyoung turns to Doyoung with a disgruntled look on his face, as if so repulsed with the way his best friend’s bare fingers are touching his milky smooth skin. “Doyoung, did you even wash your hands?!”
The awkward smile on Doyoung’s face is quite telling. “How dare you touch my face with that filthy hand of yours?!” Soonyoung furiously shrugs off his arm away from him, grabbing the pack of wet wipes atop his workstation to wipe off the bacteria which Doyoung may have unknowingly; scratch that, intentionally passed onto him. “Manners, Doyoung.” He reminds him.
Doyoung breaks into a fit of laughter, with one hand slapping his thigh, and the other placed right above his stomach. They catch the attention of their colleagues, but they let them be, because this is how these two best friends are on a daily basis. This is nothing new to them. “Of course, I washed my hands!”
He eyes him, still in disbelief. Don’t get him wrong though, because with the numerous times Doyoung pulled a prank on him, it’s difficult to figure out if he’s actually telling the truth or not. “Anyway, thank you, you’re amazing.”
“Just that?” Soonyoung asks, still not satisfied with Doyoung’s display of gratitude. “You’re forgetting something here.”
Doyoung scoffs, chuckling as he takes notice of Soonyoung’s serious face. “Your face is amazing.”
It is, after all, a face that gets one out of trouble.
Okay, pause, rewind.
How is he here at the end of the hospital bed and lying at the bed at the same time?
They were about to go home after getting wasted, is what he remembers, but how come they’re at the hospital instead?
And why the fuck is Doyoung crying his eyeballs out?
A man dressed in all white comes to him. “Are you Kwon Soonyoung?” He looks at the man, probably a year or two younger than him, but ignores his question. He sees his parents dashing towards the hospital bed so he calls out to them, but no matter how loud he yells and screams, it seems like they couldn’t hear him at all. What’s wrong with them? Or is there something wrong with him?
“He’s dead, Auntie.” Doyoung’s words fall on deaf ears, because how is he dead when he’s standing on his two feet, with blood stains on his dress shirt—wait, what? He forcefully shuts his eyes close, pacing back and forth, trying to recall the events that led him to where he is now. He tries to piece the memories together—okay, first, he was drunk, not terribly drunk though; second, Doyoung was calling out to him but his words faded in the background; and third, he attempted saving a puppy stuck in the middle of the crosswalk during a green light.
“Shit.” He did remember successfully saving the puppy, though. At least, he died a hero is what he thinks, but of course, regret lingers at the back of his mind still. “Can’t believe I died without having to use my face to its fullest potential. What a pity,” He turns to his left and notices the man hasn’t left yet. “You must be here to fetch me? Judging from your outfit, I must be going to heaven.” He jokes, attempting to lift up his own mood. It’s not easy to accept his death, but if this was his fate, then he can’t do anything about it. It’s not like life is a mixtape he could rewind whenever he wants to. Life only looks ahead, and not behind. So, he must do so as well.
The man clicks his tongue, shaking his head as if agreeing with what he had just said. “Really, such a pity, mister.” The man holds both of his hands, swaying them merrily, smiling in such delight. Is this person—or whatever it is—mocking him? People are grieving over his untimely death and he’s smiling gleefully at him! “But fear not, because you have me! Before I send you to the doors of heaven or the gates of hell, I’ll deliver you to my boss.” That sucks, Soonyoung thinks. Even the afterlife has a boss-subordinate, an employee-employer kind of relationship? The corporate world must be haunting him even after his death—no!
The man—or whatever it is, shrugs nonchalantly. “And, who knows? If you’re lucky, you might even get a chance to strike some kind of deal with him and delay your entry to heaven or hell,” What’s with his tone anyway? Is he implying that Soonyoung could be ordered to go to the depths of the underworld when with this gorgeous face of his, he is more than deserving of a throne in the heavens? For all he knows, he might even be named as the new archangel. “I’m telling you, mister, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.” The man—or whatever it is, extends his arm out, his hand open, waiting for him to grab a hold of it. “So, what do you say?”
He’s dead so he figures there’s nothing much to lose anyway, might as well hear his boss out and see if the offer benefits him. He grabs his hand tightly and the next thing he knows, he’s at some other place yet again.
-
“We’re here!” The unnamed man exclaims, opening both of his arms wide. He marvels at the place—huge drapes of sparkling gold, chandeliers mounted on the ceiling, and a majestic red carpet leading up to the throne where a man with a crown on his head, presumably of royalty, is seated. The unnamed man motions for him to come closer to the royalty. This must be his boss, is what he thinks. His assumption is proven true when the man shouts at him from a distance. “Boss!”
The boss frowns, seemingly disgusted by the way the still unnamed man called him. “Chan! How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me ‘boss’?” The boss, in question, stands up from where he’s seated, excitedly skipping his way towards him. Soonyoung doesn’t know how to act when the boss circles around him, examining him intricately like how a quality control inspector scrutinizes their product before deeming it qualified to be sold at the market. He makes eye contact with the boss and he probably catches on that he’s feeling a little awkward from the unprovoked (and unnecessary, if he may add) probing.
“Oh,” The boss fixes his demeanor befitting of a royalty, if he is one, he supposes. “Sorry.” He giggles and it makes Soonyoung a bit more confused than he originally was when he first arrived at the place. “Just got a little excited.” The weird royalty of some sort snaps his fingers and two chairs just pop out of nowhere. Weird flex, but okay. Soonyoung sits down after the man—king, or whatever title is bestowed to him—does. “My favorite subject on Earth, here with me, in the flesh? I’m a little saddened about your untimely death, though.”
Soonyoung doesn’t know where to start. Should he ask what he means about being ‘his favorite subject on Earth’? About who he is, what kind of person he is? Is he even a person? If not, what kind of otherworldly being is he? Why was he brought here by a guy named Chan? Where is he? What kind of place is this? He’s in deep thought, narrowing his eyes at the royalty in front of him.
The royalty, as if he read his mind, quickly apologizes by being ill-mannered, forgetting to introduce himself as he was seemingly so bewildered by Soonyoung’s arrival. “I’m Jeonghan, by the way. I rule the in-between.” That doesn’t really answer much of his question, but at least now, he knows how to address him. “And that over there,” He points at Chan who’s waving at them from where he’s minding his own business. “...is my brother, Chan, who doubles as my trusty assistant.”
“Okay, nice to meet you, Jeonghan,” Soonyoung greets him, albeit still hesitant to talk to a strange fellow. He is reminded of when he was young, his mother would always tell him to not talk to strangers. Well, his mother is nowhere to be seen and he’s technically stuck in the limbo, and while he knows that mothers know best, maybe dead Soonyoung knows better? Eh, actually, at this point, who cares? “Hi, Chan. Thanks for bringing me here, I guess.”
Instead of greeting back with a ‘nice to meet you too’ or a simple ‘hello’, without a warning, Jeonghan pulls him closer to him, their faces only a few inches apart. Jeonghan places a soft kiss on either side of his cheeks. It took a while before his brain registered what just happened—this must be the side effect of being unalive. So when it finally dawned on Soonyoung, he pushed him back—Jeonghan falling off of his chair. “What the fuck did you just do? Placing a kiss on my pretty face like that without consent?”
Chan is quick on his feet and helps his brother up. “Ouch, that hurts,” Jeonghan groans while he gets up with Chan’s assistance, most likely perplexed as to why he’s livid at him. “Isn’t that how you greet people on Earth? I’ve seen you do that multiple times whenever you visit your best friend’s mom.”
Soonyoung rolls his eyes at him, hands crossed above his chest. “Oh, Jeonghan, you have so much to learn about the Earth.” He refuses to apologize for pushing him. Consent is everything on Earth! If he did that on Earth, he might as well be locked behind bars right now. “You know, we have this thing called consent where you have to ask the other person if they would like to get kissed by you or not.”
Jeonghan’s face lights up, Soonyoung sees a glint in his eyes, as if he understood what he had just explained moments ago. “Sorry about that, my dear. That was so rude of me. I’ll make sure to ask you next time.” Bold of him to assume that Soonyoung would give him a next time, but he supposed, he deserves a kudos for apologizing and acknowledging what he did wrong. It’s not common for people on Earth to do that. Most of them won’t lower their pride even if they know they’re on the wrong.
But anyway, enough about that, they’re way off topic, definitely off tangent now. Where were they again? Oh! The in-between. Does he mean purgatory? “Anyway, Jeonghan, you mentioned something about ruling the in-between earlier. Is it, perhaps, purgatory?” Soonyoung’s eyes scan the place, lips pursed into a fine line, brows furrowing in spirit of inquiry. This isn’t what he imagined purgatory would look like. This is vastly different from how films or even the books portrayed it.
Jeonghan audibly gasps, apparently so scandalized with what he heard. “Stop calling my kingdom with that word! I prefer to call this the ‘in-between’!” Well, if Soonyoung thinks about it, purgatory is, indeed, the in-between. Plus, it does sound a little less frightening and intimidating if he puts it that way.
-
What Soonyoung picked up from his long talk with Jeonghan is that he's very talkative—eerily similar to his best friend, but that goes without saying that he’s notably entertaining, too. Even Chan wasn’t able to contain himself so he took out a chair of his own to sit down with them and listen. He was all ears, listening attentively to every word that Jeonghan uttered. Apparently, it hasn’t been long since Chan came to existence (read: a hundred years ago) and the reason why he calls Jeonghan his boss is because he’s the one teaching him the ropes in this place Jeonghan dubbed as the ‘in-between’.
He learned that Jeonghan has been governing this domain since time immemorial and has seen departed people from all walks of life when he ultimately decided he wanted a change in atmosphere, so he visited the Earth a couple of times to see the living when he came across him one fortunate day and found him exceptionally amusing. “Your life became my source of entertainment. You know your assets and how to make good use of them.” Those were Jeonghan’s exact words—he just wasn’t sure whether he should feel good about this.
Jeonghan went on in great detail about how bummed he was to see the scroll Chan delivered to him at the break of dawn—it was a list of names of people who were expected to die on this day. His name was included in the list, at the very bottom of the scroll. “I’m not permitted to interfere and prevent someone’s death,” Jeonghan started explaining, his seriousness catching him a little off guard. “But now, since you’re,” There was a hesitance in his tone. “…dead and in my domain, you are under my jurisdiction. I am allowed to do as I please.”
To do as he pleases didn’t sound, at all, enticing. It hasn’t been long since he was acquainted with the two, probably around an hour or two since he was transported to this place, but he’s not really certain how time works here. He has no clue what goes on in Jeonghan’s mind. He’s a little whimsical, after all—visiting Earth because he got bored with his duties as the ruler, watching his daily life like a soap-opera on his magic box of his (which by the way, looks identical to a modern day television, albeit powered by magic instead of electricity) as he’s seated comfortably on his throne, and even reached the point of mimicking how the humans on Earth act. Who knows what this unpredictable being had planned to do to him, with him?
Jeonghan’s laughter erupted seeing the disgruntled look on his face, telling him he shouldn’t be wary of him because he meant no harm, that he was actually about to offer something he hasn’t done so in a millenia.
What Jeonghan said after that, Soonyoung did find appealing.
“I could give you another chance to live a totally different life,” There was a short pause, Jeonghan glanced at him to examine the look on his face. “…but that’s only if you want to. I’m merely giving you an alternative.” It was a tempting option, if he has to be honest. Soonyoung tilted his head to the side, weighing the merits and demerits of this opportunity laid out to him. Jeonghan may have noticed his dilemma and assured him he didn’t have to decide on the spot. They could discuss it further tomorrow morning, during breakfast. “First, let’s get you new clothes because you reek of disgusting smell.”
Soonyoung, as much as he wanted to refute it, couldn’t bring himself to do so. He clutched the fabric of his dress shirt, brought it closer to the tip of his nose, and sniffed the smell coming from it—he reeked of alcohol, plus, the blood stain on his white dress shirt made his appearance revolting. Without much deliberation, Soonyoung stood up from his seat and allowed Chan to guide him the way to his room. He was actually courteous, contrary to his first impression of him, bringing him a nightwear made out of fine silk (wow, they have silk here is what he first noticed) and a change of clothes for tomorrow. Jeonghan has an undeniably impeccable taste in clothes, very classy yet simple. “See you tomorrow, honored guest.” Those were Chan’s last words before he excused himself.
It was a long and excruciating day, so many things had happened to him. There’s this saying that there’s no use crying over spilt milk but he, unfortunately, parted without saying his goodbyes. His family, best friend, and colleagues must be shocked as well. He tried to brush it off as a joke a while ago, but he’s actually feeling somber. And he dearly hopes it won’t take long for his loved ones to accept that he’s really gone.
-
Soonyoung wakes up from his deep slumber, yawning, mouth wide open, jaws about to snap in half. That’s probably the lengthiest sleep he had in quite a while. The busy season had kept him up for around twenty hours a day (he’s not exaggerating, by the way) and he even had to resort to sneaking a power nap inside the toilet cubicle once in a while (it really happens!) if coffee didn't do its wonders. That’s something he really wouldn’t miss.
There’s a knock on the wooden door that disrupted his thoughts. “Breakfast will be ready soon. The dining hall is at the opposite end of this hallway.” Sure, he could navigate around, the direction isn’t complicated at all. There’s a higher chance he won't get lost. “And in case you get lost, I hope that wouldn’t be the case,” Oh, Chan, if only you knew. “Just send me an sos.”
“And, by all means, please tell me how. I’m assuming this world is devoid of this thing we call phones. How am I supposed to call you to ask for help?”
There’s a loud chortle from the opposite side of the wall. “That, I actually have no idea.” Great.
Good news, though! Soonyoung managed to arrive in one piece, without the help of Chan. His nose led the way. They say follow your instincts, but in Soonyoung’s case, he moved towards where the savory smell was coming from. “Are you serving me bacon and eggs for breakfast?” Soonyoung thinks—Jeonghan is, after all, such a great host.
Jeonghan perks up upon seeing him, hands clapping in excitement. “Only the best for the best,” Soonyoung loves the compliment he’s being showered with. Jeonghan didn’t lie when he told him he’s his favorite subject on Earth. “I served your coffee just like how you wanted it, dear.” The ruler motions for him to sit down, eyes fixated at his every move. “Go on, take a sip.”
He does as he’s told, taking the cup of coffee in front of him, and elegantly taking a sip. He puts it down after, satisfaction evident in his face. “That was really nice, Jeonghan. You even know how I like my coffee in the morning.”
Chan takes his seat across from him, grabbing his own set of fork and knife, filling his plate with the crunchy bacon and sunny side up eggs. “Been a while since we had human food, boss!” Jeonghan hisses at the way Chan addressed him, correcting him with ‘boss, not hyung, dear brother’. It’s an entertaining sight to see after waking up that he forgot to inquire about what Chan’s statement meant.
“We should really eat human food once in a while.” Chan further comments, munching crazily as if he had not been fed for so long. “Oh, Soonyoung! You must be wondering! We eat human souls to quench our hunger.” That’s not really something Soonyoung would like to hear while he’s devouring his hearty meal.
Jeonghan takes it from there, probably noticing how dazed he looked after hearing Chan’s words. “Those who are not permitted to go to heaven, even after we did our best to purify their souls in the in-between… we give them a choice.” How many souls have Jeonghan eaten to stay alive for more than a thousand years? “They can offer their souls to us lest they be punished with eternal damnation.”
Soonyoung stops munching his food, appetite gone in a flash. He places his utensils carefully to the side, swallowing a lump in his throat. If he knew all of this before being called to his death, he could’ve still changed his ways and be heaven-ready, like no purification of some sort would be needed for him. He’d be welcomed in heaven with open arms. It isn’t like he’s a bad person when he was alive, but still, just thinking about the small statistical probability of him descending to the underworld, burning in fire or getting tortured—that’s actually frightening. “So you mean to say, there’s a chance that I won’t be ascending to heaven?”
Jeonghan nods, but Soonyoung misses the smirk on his face when he lowers his head down, thinking it might be better for him to accept Jeonghan’s offer from last night. He quickly raises his head up, gritting his teeth with determination. “I’ll take your offer, Jeonghan. But before we proceed with it, would you be so kind as to fill me with the details?”
Soonyoung need not to ask, Jeonghan would be so happy to tell him. “Like any other deal, this will be sealed by your signature. Oral contracts put me in a difficult position. I can’t just accept your word for it,” Soonyoung’s lips twitch, but he agrees. “But before I present you the written contract, of course, I’ll explain everything you need to know or want to know for that matter.”
First, Jeonghan mentions this country, presumably not found on Earth, from where he’s from, because if it was, the name would have already rang a bell. The Country of Lilia is what he mentions, devoid of any present day technology, where people are forced to work until their back hurts, unless of course, if you’re born a royalty or nobility, then you wouldn’t have to do all that on your own, ‘cause then, someone would do it for you. “That sounds nice,” Soonyoung already has an image in his head, what he’d like to do if he was born with generational wealth. Maybe his family can send him off to a different country and let him travel where he wants without a care in the world. Of course, unless he's born the eldest and next in line to the throne, then he’d have no choice but to succeed the position.
Jeonghan lets out a soft chuckle. “Yeah, though, if you chose that path, you’d have to give up your face.” Soonyoung has heard it alright, but the lack of explanation makes it difficult to understand what Jeonghan meant by ‘giving up his face’. “In short, you have choices to make, and in each of them, you’ll have to give up one thing.” Ah, I can’t have it all, I suppose. “Wouldn’t it be unfair if I hand everything to you on a silver plate?”
It’s supposed to be an easy choice to make. It’s not like Jeonghan gave him a plethora of choices, though. He actually presented him with only two options. First option is he’d be born from a family of nobility, his father being a duke, but he’d be born with a totally new face, though with the ability to retain his memories from Earth. Soonyoung has grown attached to his current pretty one that just imagining he’d be given a totally different one doesn’t sound like a good thing. Second option is he’d be born to a lower class family, but he’d be able to retain not only his memories, but also his dearest face. At this point, Soonyoung is leaning towards the second option. He supposes he can make do with what he has and rise up the ranks.
“Until when can I decide?” He asks, finally picking up the utensils he set aside earlier, finding it a pity to let the crispy bacon they prepared for him go to waste. Jeonghan reminds him that this offer he’s making isn’t available to anyone and if he decides not to take up his offer, they’d proceed with purifying his soul and he can only pray that after this soul-purifying exercise he is required to undergo, it’d be enough for the doors of heaven to open up for him and welcome him.
“Before this day ends, my dear,” Jeonghan halts in his motion, snapping his fingers, and voila! —and a piece of paper, probably the written contract, and a fountain pen are in view. He pushes them off to Soonyoung’s side. “This is the draft contract. My provisions are non-negotiable, though, but you can add three clauses as long as they are not contrary to my rules.” Fair enough is what Soonyoung had in mind. “And don’t use your pretty brain to circumvent my rules… like asking me to let you win the lottery or whatever.” That sucks, then. Soonyoung actually thought of putting something like that in the clauses.
-
In Jeonghan’s draft, it says a choice of one between the two is a bar to choose or a waiver of the other—no take-backs. Seems like a reasonable clause. Soonyoung ticks the box of his choice—to be reborn in a lower class family. He chooses his face over all others. If there’s something he learned from his previous life that he thinks would be useful in his next one, it’s that his face could be a bargaining chip, a way to seal a deal, a way to get out of trouble or get in places no ordinary man would ever be allowed to.
He scribbles words in the empty spaces on the second page, jotting down the provisions he wanted to add in the contract:
#1 On earth, we have this saying that ‘investment in knowledge pays the best interest’, so if you can’t blatantly hand my poor family directly with money, at least, give me books to work on, I have to know what I’m dealing with in the new world you’re going to shove me in.
#2 Although my big brother and I used to fight everyday, I’d like a brother in this life, too, please.
#3 Lastly, I don’t know how you’re going to do this, but please tell my family and my best friend, I’m okay. And that I love them, too. Didn’t get to say my farewell. :(
After laying his conditions down and signing the contract, Soonyoung comes out of his room, heading towards the huge room where Chan initially brought him yesterday with the papers in his hands. “Oh, hey, Chan! Is your boss on his throne?”
Chan nods excitedly. “Finally made up your mind, huh?” Chan’s actually heading opposite Soonyoung’s way so he’s a bit surprised when Chan decides to accompany him towards where his brother is. “You’re actually the first one to accept my brother’s offer! What a brave soul you are,” Is that supposed to be a pun on him? ‘Cause he’s like, technically, dead. “I’m sure my boss will be just as excited as I am.” Having a little brother like Chan is actually cute… should he reconsider and amend the second clause?
Jeonghan stands up when he sees them walking on the red carpet leading towards him. He extends his arms out to the side, a wide (and cunning, if he may add) smile plastered on his face, welcoming Soonyoung with much enthusiasm. “Hey, you’re here, my favorite subject.” Soonyoung still hasn’t gotten used to how Jeonghan calls him his favorite. Without further ado, he hands him the contract. Jeonghan immediately flips to the second page after quickly scanning which box he ticked on the first page. “Sounds reasonable to me.”
Jeonghan comes closer to him. “Are you ready, Kwon Soonyoung?”
“Ready for what?”
“For the new world!”
“Wait,” Soonyoung flinches, surprise evident on his face when his mouth falls hanging, eyes wide as two saucers, nostrils flaring. “That’s it? No briefing, whatsoever?”
Jeonghan chuckles at him. “Stop being neurotic, Soonyoung.” He places his hand on either side of Soonyoung’s head and closes his eyes. “Happy?”
“What was that?” Soonyoung asks, high-strung with the sudden influx of information in his mind.
Jeonghan shrugs, lips curving into a naughty smile. Chan giggles at the side, giving his brother a thumbs up. “Just a little parting gift for my favorite.”
Jeonghan instilled in his head some basic information about the country he’s going to live in… and a vague glimpse into the future? What? “How? How is that possible?”
“Oh god, Soonyoung! Don’t pretend as if you don’t read those m-preg manhwas on Earth!”
“Exp–” explain.
Before Soonyoung could finish what he’s about to say, Jeonghan snaps his fingers, and without delay, he disappears.
In the future Jeonghan allowed Soonyoung to take a glimpse of, Soonyoung has a baby bump and a pair of hands other than his, massaging the bump with warmth and love. The owner of the said hands— that, he didn’t manage to see.
Damn it, Jeonghan!