Angel ✦ Nomin

02

Jisung's eyes groggily open. He finds it a massive struggle due to the blinding white of the room around him. There appears to only be a door on the wall to his right, but there's not a single item in the room aside from a simple twin sized bed which Jisung lies on. He presses his palms against his eyes and rubs them.

"Where am I?" he groans with a weak voice.

"In the angels' infirmary," a voice speaks, startling Jisung. He drops his hands and finds Taeyong, now donning coral pink hair, standing at the door. He lets out a relieved exhale upon seeing the familiar face.

"What happened? Why am I here?" he inquires, "I'm not an angel."

Taeyong smiles lightly, his head lowering to his feet for a brief moment before looking back up to Jisung.

"You used your powers despite the fact it comes at a heavy cost," Taeyong states, "You could have died, Jisung."

Jisung lowers his eyes to his hands, which now fiddle at the thin, white fabric sheet covering his legs.

"I know," Jisung murmurs, "But I had to stop the fire. I couldn't risk letting it burn down with living people still inside."

"That's a very valiant action to have taken, and those were very noble intentions you exhibited," Taeyong responds with a half grin. He pauses a moment before nodding his head towards the door. "Why don't you follow me?"

Jisung furrows his eyebrows, but compliantly pulls the sheet off of him and slings his legs over the side of the bed. He's wearing a plain white shirt and white sweatpants-most definitely not the clothes he last had on-but he finds it odd how he does not have shoes. There were only socks which go up to his ankles.

Jisung stands from the bed and wobbles at first. He hadn't ever pushed himself that hard to use his power, and it was still taking a toll on his energy.

"Be careful," Taeyong advises before turning towards the door and opening it up. He walks through, and Jisung follows behind, closing the door upon passing the threshold, himself.

Jisung turns and finds they appeared to now be in Taeyong's office. The one he had visited before with Jeno and Mark. Jisung looks over his shoulder with vast confusion. The door they'd entered through was the same door that the passive aggressive man had escorted him and the others in through.

"I don't have time to take elevators," Taeyong states as he sits in a large upholstered white chair, "Most angels can't really go from room to room with ease like on Earth. Our powers work differently here in Heaven. But I can." Taeyong motions to a white plastic chair with cylindrical wooden legs which sits across from him. "Please, have a seat."

Jisung sluggishly approaches the chair and cautiously maneuvers himself to sit down. When he's seated, he looks up at Taeyong, questions still racing through his mind.

"How long have I been here?" he asks.

"One week," Taeyong replies promptly.

"Why?" Jisung inquires, "Why save my soul?"

"Because you were never meant to stay a demon. You were never truly meant to be one to begin with," Taeyong explains.

"B-but...but what about what happened with Che-"

"That wasn't your fault, Jisung," he replies with his smile quickly faltering, "You let the guilt manifest itself in your soul, and it caused you to end up in purgatory. I had high hopes you would let go of that guilt and join us, but instead you took the easy way out."

"But...but I just wanted t-to see Chenle again," Jisung stammers, "An-and I thought h-he wouldn't forgive me if he saw me."

"Jisung, he never held resentment towards you. He didn't blame you for what happened," Taeyong sighs, "The Devil is a wicked man with twisted games. He plays on your weakness and makes you think his option is the only one available to you. You became a demon, but it's not too late for you to become an angel. You've proven that even under Satan's influence, you are still a virtuous boy."

Taeyong taps his nails on his knee which he has crossed over his other leg. He appears to be thinking deeply about something due to the harsh lines that begin to form between his brows and the deep frown which becomes etched into his face.

"But should you still harbor that guilt, you can only be returned to a spirit of purgatory," Taeyong murmurs, still deep in thought, "But perhaps if I tapped into your psyche and...hmmm..."

"Taeyong, with all due respect, I don't think I could ever forgi-"

"Shh," Taeyong silences him, "Jisung...I think maybe the only way to prove to you that there was nothing more you could have done is by showing you."

"Showing me?" Jisung asks.

"Yes, it'll be like a simulation. We will keep running through the same scenario over and over until you run out of ways you think you could have prevented what happened," Taeyong explains.

"But...it was so hard going through it the first time...I don't know if I could handle it a million times over," he whimpers.

"It may seem like torture, but it's the only solid way I can show you why it isn't your fault and have you believe me," Taeyong informs him, "So what do you say?"

Jisung takes a moment to take all options and information into account. He chews at his bottom lip a little before nodding his head.

"Okay."