In the car, Yi Jeong wrote a message to his brother.
"Hyung... Are you still up? Please give me a call.."
It took only two minutes until his phone rang and he picked up. Yeon was talking in a low voice and Yi Jeong put him on speaker, so Woo Bin could join the conversation while driving.
"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately knowing that this wasn't because Yi Jeong missed him already. This was something serious.
"We're on the way back to Yu Ri's house.. Something happened.. it's bad.. Can you wake everyone up? Or meet us outside.." his voice broke because he was barely able to stay focused instead of completely falling apart.
The way Yi Jeong sounded was freaking Yeon out, but he tried to stay positive and cheer him up with the first thing that came to mind.
"Hey. It can't be that bad.. As long as Woo Bin didn't make a deal with a fairy."
"Yeah, about that.." Woo Bin started and they both heard the phone drop and Yeon cursing before he picked it up again.
"Are fucking kidding me now? You're joking, right?"
"Wait... how does he know?" Yi Jeong asked and looked at his boyfriend.
"I... might have tricked him into giving me some answers about that woman who offered me the deal. I'm sorry.. I know it was beyond stupid..."
"Yeah, yeah it was. But I should have followed my gut feeling, that this wasn't about a book at all." Yeon sounded exhausted even before he had heard the whole story.
"I was pretty convincing right?" Woo Bin said with a proud grin and Yi Jeong punched his arm because he saw nothing to joke about in that moment.
"Unfortunately, yes." Yeon mumbled. "So... tell me.. what's the deal.."
"I met her for the first time when.." Woo Bin started, but Yi Jeong interrupted.
"Long story short. He was a Gumiho in his past life, tried to become one again and now has seven days to find his missing fox bead or he will vanish forever with that fairy. We bring the glasses and I hope you have some better ideas than to find it somewhere in there."
"I... wake them up." Yeon said dryly and ended the call.
When Yi Jeong and Woo Bin arrived, everyone had already gathered in the living room. They all looked tired but concerned, only Yu Ri jumped up angrily when the couple entered the room.
She was about to jump on Woo Bin but stopped right in front of him and hissed: "I would kill you myself if you weren't dead already, you idiot."
Woo Bin looked at Yi Jeong and said: "See. That's what I wanted to hear from you. That's what I deserve."
Yi Jeong rolled his eyes and shoved Woo Bin to the couch. "Shut up, idiot.." he mumbled and they all settled.
"What can we do?" Ji Ah asked, trying to hide how concerned she was.
"First, I suggest we go see Granny. She can check if his time is really up in seven days. If it's settled, the day he dies must have changed already in the database."
"Who's Granny? We have a Granny?" Yi Jeong asked and Yeon replied: "Her name is Taluipa. She runs the Afterlife Immigration Office. She hates it but she's basically family. She's also not a fan of Rang... but her face is always grumpy anyways, so don't worry. Most of the time, she hates me, too."
"Can't wait to meet her again.." Ji Ah said dryly.
"You don't have to come.. Someone has to watch our little devil." Yeon smiled at her, but she shook her head. "No. We have to make sure to save Woo Bin. And if I have to sit in front of that door for days again.." Ji Ah was determined to do whatever she can and Yeon knew it was a battle he couldn't win, if he tried to convince her otherwise.
Woo Bin looked at Ji Ah with teary eyes and tried a weak smile, which she returned after taking a shaky breath. Yes, they had connected in some way right from the start, but he didn't expect her to be so passionate about saving his stupid ass.
"Ah.." Woo Bin cleared his throat, barely able to look anyone into the eyes. "I just want to say.. I really appreciate how you all want to help me. I don't take this for granted, I hope you know that.."
"Yeah, you should... jerk.." Yu Ri mumbled, her expression still angry and her arms crossed in front of her chest. She kicked Woo Bin's leg, but not too hard. "We're family."
"I promise, I'll get used to it." Woo Bin said and Shin Ju started to cry. "But you have no time..." he sobbed and this time, Yu Ri wrapped her arms around her husband and leaned her head against his shoulder. To her, there was no difference between her Yi Rang-Nim and his reincarnation only because he had a different name. Yi Jeong had finally found his true love and was happy. Just thinking about his heart breaking because of the loss caused her so much pain, she could barely stand it. She also knew how fast Shin Ju got attached to people and he didn't only like Woo Bin, he was also his favorite author and now wasn't the time to make fun of her husband for being weepy.
"We still have time to do something..right?" she looked at Yeon, like she was expecting him to have all the answers, her features now soft and her eyes filled with tears.
"Woo Bin-Ah.. You should get some sleep. Yi Jeong, you too." Yeon started but Yi Jeong shook his head. "I'm not tired."
"I make coffee." Shin Ju decided, because he needed to start doing something. He wiped away his tears and vanished into the kitchen.
"I'm in fact really tired... But I'm okay with a short nap. I can stay awake three days in a row if I must." Woo Bin said.
"We could keep searching for information in your past life, that works even if you're asleep, right?" Ji Ah suggested but Woo Bin shook his head. "How am I supposed to sleep, knowing you all are staring at me.."
"Not exactly you, we will only see your past." Yeon said, but Woo Bin didn't look much happier.
"I do it. I stare at you when you're asleep all the time.." Yi Jeong said softly and pushed a strand of hair out of Woo Bin's face.
"Okay.." he surrendered with a sigh before he even picked up a fight and Yi Jeong smiled at him.
"Ji Ah.. you go have some sleep too." Yeon said, "We'll keep collecting ideas. I'll wake you up in time, don't worry."
With 'we' he meant the foxes. Su Ho was still asleep because there wasn't much he could do anyway. It was probably for the best if he watched Yong Gi because Ji Ah was still a skilled researcher.
"Okay... we go into my room." Yi Jeong announced and Woo Bin followed him. "Good night. And thank you again."
While Yi Jeong was pulling the cover blanket off the bed, Woo Bin was still standing by the door.
He was unusually quiet with every movement and every word he said.
"Hey.."
Woo Bin looked up and Yi Jeong was right in front of him.
"Should I carry you to the bed bridal style?" he asked with a sweet smile but Woo Bin wasn't smiling back.
"I will die. No matter what we do, I will die in seven days."
"We don't know that yet.." Yi Jeong wanted to take his hands but Woo Bin pulled back.
"I know it. When I was desperate and spontaneously willing to leave on the spot, it was okay. I was ready in that moment. Now I'm scared. My mind starts understanding what it means and all the what ifs are coming for me now."
Woo Bin had tried to hide how scared he was, but it wasn't working. Yi Jeong was scared too, but he didn't say it out loud.
"You know... To me, death isn't that scary anymore, since I know that there's an afterlife. I don't believe that you could just vanish forever.. Not you. If I'm here again because some higher force decided I deserved a second chance, than you will get that, too!"
"What if this was my second chance? I already died once.."
"So? Then you get a third one. It will be okay. I will find you."
"What if I'm not me anymore?"
"You won't. That's why you chose to die, right. I don't mind. You still love me but I have changed, right? My family still loves me though I am not Rang. And I will love the next you as much as I love you now. Because I chose you. Not just for this life, forever."
Now Woo Bin cracked a smile. He knew what Yi Jeong said was only half true. He was scared, too. Scared, because this Woo Bin would only be in his life for a few days more and then they both didn't know what to expect.
"I'll try to get some sleep. Good luck, finding that stupid bead.." he mumbled and walked to the bed to let himself fall into the soft mattress.
It was surprisingly easy to accept that it had been the bed where Yi Jeong's past life version slept in, instead of a stranger. "Are you coming?" Woo Bin mumbled into the pillow and Yi Jeong settled next to him.
He started to play with his hair and enjoyed seeing Woo Bin slowly relax.
"Of course I'm scared that you won't be you anymore.. Right now I can't even imagine being a second without you.. But I will get used to it.. And I will find you. I will. If you don't remember me, I will win your heart again." he said quietly and Woo Bin looked at him without moving his head.
He lifted himself up and searched for his mobile phone in his pocket.
"What are you doing?"
"Come here." he ordered and got the video mode ready.
"No.. We're not doing this. I don't want a stupid good bye tape from you, I'm not.."
"Hey, next me." Woo Bin just started speaking to the camera. "I really hope we still look like this, because otherwise I have no idea how to convince you, in case you forgot who you are. It doesn't matter what you are and what you're doing, you hear me, reincarnation-me? This is what matters." he dragged Yi Jeong to his side, "This guy here might look ugly now with his grumpy, pouty face, but this is your guy. This is the love of your life and I died so you and him can be together forever. At least that was the plan.. Of course I hope you will get my memory back but if not...make new ones. Don't ever push him away. He's your home. Okay?" he finished and kissed Yi Jeong lightly, who buried his face in his shoulder, hiding that he was about to cry. "Stop now.. I don't wanna hear it.. Don't make this feel real, okay?"
Woo Bin switched out the camera and let himself drop back again, snuggling up with Yi Jeong.
"I will only send this to you if it really happens, okay? I love you.."
"I don't wanna hear it."
"I love you."
"Shut up."
"I love you."
"..."
"I love you, too.."
Now Woo Bin smiled and kissed Yi Jeong's forehead. "Whatever happens.. let's not say good bye, okay?"
"Hmh.."
"Hey. Don't fall asleep. You got to look for my bead."
Someone knocked on the door and Yi Jeong looked up. "Come in."
It was Shin Ju's head that popped up in the door-frame. "I bring you some coffee." he smiled and it was in fact a welcome act of kindness.
"Thanks, I can need it." Yi Jeong smiled weakly and sat up straight before he accepted the mug.
"Good luck." Shin Ju smiled and vanished as quietly as possible.
Yi Jeong took a careful sip from the mug and looked at Woo Bin, who was about to fall asleep.
He was still awake, but Yi Jeong knew how he looked shortly before he would pass out.
"It's okay. You can sleep. I'll look through your past, don't worry." he said and played with Woo Bin's hair again.
"I worry about what you will think of me, if you see me." he replied sleepily and Yi Jeong choked a laugh.
"Hey.. you know who you're talking to, right?"
"Right.." a smile flashed over Woo Bin's lips. "If anything, we're the perfect match.."
Woo Bin slowly drifted off and Yi Jeong watched him for a little longer, before he started looking at him through the glasses.
He was nervous, because it was the first time he ever saw his boyfriend's past, but his main focus was to find the moment when he lost his bead.
Yi Jeong had no idea if he had any influence on the time-line and just started looking.
Judging by the clothes and environment, it must have been at least 200 years ago. Now Yi Jeong wished he had paid more attention in history class back in school, but he had always been too busy studying Woo Bin, who had always soaked in all the knowledge like a sponge. His expression while learning something new had been way more interesting and Yi Jeong remembered how he was drawing little portraits of his face under the table, instead of taking notes.
It was enough if one of them knew those things, he thought back then. He was still thinking it. Because they would never part. Well...
Woo Bin looked like an ancient version of himself, still the same face, same hair color.. He even moved like Woo Bin.
Yi Jeong watched him walking, in his right hand a bottle of liquor. He was drunk.
"Where are you going?" Yi Jeong mumbled, but ancient Woo Bin didn't seem to have a goal.
At one point he just snuck into a random barn and fell asleep.
The next day, he repeated what he was doing before, roaming random villages like a ghost, not interacting with anyone.
He stole booze whenever he got the chance and never returned to the same location.
"Woo Bin.. what are you doing?"
He witnessed Woo Bin picking up fights he wasn't able to win. More than once, he ended up in a dark dead end of a street, beaten up so badly, Yi Jeong could barely keep watching, but he endured it. He was on a mission.
"Do you want to die, moron?"
Yi Jeong asked himself where Rang had been at that time. If they had met, would things have changed for the both of them? Why was Woo Bin so sad? But he had no time to go back any further to dig in his past until he would find the reason. He had to find the bead only and he felt like what he was watching looked promising. If Woo Bin had nothing, he might have traded it at some point. Yi Jeong only hoped that the moment was still coming.
With every day that passed, Yi Jeong felt more sick, watching Woo Bin literally wasting away.
He wanted to travel back in time, pick him up and take him home. Just like that. But would Rang be capable to do such a thing? Well... he had saved Yu Ri, but from humans, not from herself.
Woo Bin hadn't just been an alcoholic, but also a gambler. Yi Jeong watched him steal stuff and trick people to win some cash to buy more booze. One night, he entered a bar that was clearly a place for supernatural creatures to gather. From outside, it looked normal, but inside, all kinds of creatures enjoyed drinks together. It was a loud room, dusty from smokers. In one corner, two men started a fight but it wasn't clear why.
An elegant looking woman started a conversation with Woo Bin, who settled at the bar, but he didn't seem to be interested at first. Only after two drinks, he suddenly started to lament about how he had lost everything he had in a gamble, but it didn't matter anyway, because being wealthy meant nothing if he had no one to share with.
The woman listened to everything he said, buying him one drink after another and Yi Jeong got the feeling now that she might have thought she found a victim for whatever she had on her mind.
"I want to end it.." Woo Bin said eventually. The bar had become quiet, because he was sitting there for hours. Or at least it felt like that, even for Yi Jeong only watching the scene.
"And if I'll ever be reborn, let it be something that dies fast.."
He stared into his empty glass and started blowing into it, until a tiny light appeared and he upend it, as if the light would escape if he didn't and in fact, it was dashing from one side to the other, under that glass.
"If you're trying to find something of value that you can get from me.. I guess this is it. Take it."
Yi Jeong's heart was beating fast. Was that the fox bead? If so, he only had to find that woman. He had a face!
The woman looked at the glass for a long while, then she shook her head.
"Look.. it's fighting for you. Don't give up, yet. Get some sleep and meet me again tomorrow. If you still want to die, I'll kill you myself and make sure you won't be reborn, I promise."
With that said, she stood up and walked away, leaving Woo Bin alone with his tiny light that wanted to be with its owner so badly.
Was Yi Jeong looking at the one who murdered his boyfriend? Who was that woman? Was she a Gumiho? He couldn't tell just by looking at her. Was she that same fairy? Misery? But why was she offering Woo Bin a choice if she could have that bead right away...
Yi Jeong kept looking and then the worst case scenario happened. Woo Bin got up and left the bar. The bead was still caught under the glass and he just walked away.
"No... no no no.... No, don't just leave it there... Woo Bin... if you leave it there, how am I supposed to find out who has it? Anyone could have walked into that bar and..."
What he saw next made his heart skip a beat. Woo Bin walked to the nearby shore and straight into the ocean, without even looking back once. Yi Jeong witnessed how he got swallowed by the dark water and took the glasses off so fast, as if it was suddenly burning his face, throwing it into the corner of the room.
He wasn't even able to look at Woo Bin, sleeping peacefully right next to him.
Yi Jeong stumbled out of the room, breathing heavily. He didn't even realize that he was crying.
Yeon was the first who jumped up and hurried to him. "What happened?"
"I.. I just watched my boyfriend die.." his body was trembling and Yeon pulled him into a tight embrace.
Yi Jeong took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. Of course Woo Bin died in his past life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been reborn into this one.
"I saw the bead.." he said with a shaky voice and Yeon gently pushed him away to look at him. "You did?"
"Bad news is... I don't think it's much of a help. I need paper and a pen. I need to draw a face before I forget it.
Shin Ju jumped up to get everything he needed and he settled next to Yu Ri, who gently squeezed his arm and leaned her head against his shoulder. It calmed him down a bit, but his hand was still shaky when he started drawing the face of the woman from his memory.
"They were in a bar. I have no idea where.. but it wasn't for humans. She was the last person who spoke to him. She left first and he just left his fox bead in the bar and walked straight into the nearby ocean. He was drunk.. and he wanted to die. Anyone could have picked up that bead. This woman and the bar are the only clues we have."
"Do you remember the name of the bar? Many places like that, not meant for humans, serve a purpose. It's probably not too hard to find and we can start looking from there." Yeon said and Yi Jeong closed his eyes, trying to remember what he saw when Woo Bin had entered the house that looked completely mundane from the outside.
"I.. I remember the image of a bird... It was dirty but from the colors... maybe a Magpie?"
Yeon was lost in thoughts for a moment. It had been a while since he took orders from Granny, going around, killing those who deserved it, but he remembered every single one of the lives he took for justice. And all the hotspots, too. No matter how long ago.
"There is a place called "The Wise Magpie. It's quite famous. Sinners go there to seek judgment, absolution... Creatures who are looking for sinners go there, too. Someone with a death wish might go to a place like that as well... And it still exists."
"Is it far?" Yi Jeong asked with hope in his eyes and he shook his head. "Not for us."
"I remember that place." Shin Ju said. "We don't have much time so..let me go there and send you a picture. If it is the place you saw, I can start investigating while you guys go to Granny to ask for help." he suggested and Yu Ri took the drawing of the woman. "I'll start going through the online communities and ask around if anyone knows this woman. If she's not human, someone must know her." she said and took a picture of the drawing with her phone.
"Okay. That's sounds like a good start. You can go now and we should leave as soon as Woo Bin wakes up."
Yi Jeong nodded. "Give him another hour.. then I'll wake him up."
"No need to..." Woo Bin's tired voice made everyone simultaneously look over to Rang's room.
"Just give me some coffee, fill me in with your news and I'm good to go."