Fundamentally Good

Lurking Death

The mother within her rose to the occasion; determined to fight for Dae Reul's life. Pure white anger filled her eyes because she hated the fact that this Grim reaper was lingering around them.

"State your business here, Grim reaper." Seri pressed coldly, barely stopping herself from burning him with her words.

To say the Grim reaper was shocked was an understatement because he quite literally smacked right into one of the thick branches of the trees when he jumped up in shock.

"You scared me!" The Grim reaper patted his chest instantly, trying to calm his racing heart.

Turning to study the devil and the angel, he could tell that the situation wasn't favourable to him, judging by the anger in their eyes. He couldn't understand why they both looked this mad when all he had been doing all morning was following them.

"You can't take her." The normally calm angel was seething too as the anger slowly built up within him.

There were only a few instances where Angel Ri would ever get angry. It was in his nature to be kind, gentle, and loving. But when it came to the matters of the heart or his family, any threat would rouse that angry beast within him, for he was willing to give anything to protect them.

Now, the anger burned him just like it burned the Grim reaper who was on the receiving end of their rage. He firmly believed that death's servant deserved it after what he did to his family.

Of course, the tiny, more logical side of him reasoned that the Grim reaper was simply doing his job, but anger had a way of shunning any logic when someone dear to you was in danger.

As for Devil Yoon? Well, let's just say she had mastered anger during her time on earth – a skill that was honed even more when she became a devil.

When Seri was angered, it was as though someone unleashed a demon. Her words were sharp, cutting whoever dared crossed her mercilessly and bitingly. The worst part was, rarely anyone knew what to say to appease her anger, since all she could feel during such instances was the blinding rage that led to the explosion of fire in the first place.

The Grim reaper had crossed the wrong duo even without meaning to. Thankfully, he managed to douse the heat of their anger before it could get out of hand. He had met his fair share of devils and angels, but he rarely had to deal with such a dynamic duo. It was common for some morality guardians to get protective over their humans, but once again, his purpose here was different this time.

Someone was dying today but...

"Wait a second. I'm not here for Dae Reul." The Grim reaper raised his hands up in surrender, silently conveying the fact that he wasn't going to fight with them.

"We won't let you take her without a fight...wait, what?" The anger left Seri as quickly as it came, dissipating into the clouds.

"I'm not here for Dae Reul." The Grim reaper repeated calmly.

"If you're not here for our human, why have you been following us?" Ri Jeong Hyeok asked this time.

Confusion coloured their faces because they couldn't figure out why a Grim reaper would be lurking beyond his job to deliver souls to their afterlife. None of this made sense, and it showed in how the anger was completely lost to the devil and angel who was prepared to fight only seconds ago.

Sadness graced the Grim reaper's features as he studied the couple before him. He had always known that the couple in that car crash would go on to become morality guardians, and it almost amused him to see them here together.

It would seem even the afterlife couldn't keep them apart, but that thought saddened him greatly when he remembered how happy they had been in their former lives.

Fate clearly had its own ideas when it decided to tear a family apart, only to bring them together again.

Yet, they didn't know...

He knew they didn't know when the angel referred to Dae Reul as "their human".

The reason why he was here wasn't that Dae Reul's time on earth was coming to an end. Rather, it was that time of the year where the Grim reaper would check on the one human soul he became attached to during all his time as death's servant.

The Grim reaper would always remember Ri Haneul, for he had a soft spot for the child he delivered to the afterlife years ago. Back then, Ri Haneul couldn't stop crying, which was why the Grim reaper didn't have the heart to send her off until she was calm.

That night, when she finally slept, he had been surprised when Ri Haneul wrapped her hand around his finger, clutching it tightly in her sleep. She smiled then when she felt him wriggle his finger experimentally before he started swaying her gently. Just like Seri, the Grim reaper thought that the child was so tiny, so dainty, that one couldn't help but want to protect her.

He had been crushed when the child disappeared past the doors to the afterlife the next day. For days, he had felt empty, as though he was simply going through the motion without moving forward in life.

Life as a Grim reaper seemed meaningless without the child that lit up his life with so much warmth so suddenly. That was why when Ri Haneul's soul reincarnated into that of Kim Dae Reul, he couldn't help but rejoice.

Every year since then, he would visit Dae Reul just for a day, just to assure himself that the baby who touched his heart was growing up well in her new life.

Now, he wasn't the only one missing Ri Haneul although neither Jeong Hyeok nor Seri was aware of that yet.

"I haven't been following you." The Grim reaper scoffed. "I've been following Dae Reul. That child is special to me. I visit her every year."

"Why?" Seri frowned.

"Ten years ago, I delivered her soul to the afterlife. She was so tiny back then, a mere one-year-old. She wouldn't stop crying for her parents but still smiled so sweetly in her sleep. I missed her when she left."

"A one-year-old?" Ri Jeong Hyeok frowned too.

The angel and the devil exchanged a glance right as the Grim reaper walked past them to part the leaves again. There Dae Reul was, playing in the sandbox with her friends. A soft smile grew on all their faces when they witnessed the sweet child patting sand off her friend's knee.

"That's Ri Haneul." The Grim reaper confirmed quietly, refusing to beat around the bush when it came to this precious child.

This time, Yoon Seri collapsed, right into Ri Jeong Hyeok's arms.