Chapter 22

Baek's POV

Once I get home, I take a shower and leave just as soon as I arrived. On my way out of the house, I pluck a pearl of black

Wait. Is this even normal? Who gives a lady a black rose at night?

And I bet she has never seen a black rose her entire life. Out here, you'll see the strangers things the human world knows nothing about.

I throw the flowers again and open a portal that leads directly to the doorstep of her house. I turn to see if her window is open but it is closed. I wouldn't dare try to call her name for fear that I might wake her dad.

I think for a moment and an idea cross my mind.

I pick a little stone and toss it on her window but it does not open. Maybe she has fallen asleep. I pick another stone and before I could throw it on her window again, she opens it.

"Hey." I wave and whisper. "Though I told you not to close the window."

"What if something uninvited enters or maybe a squirrel. I hate squirrels." She whispers back.

"Fine. Jump."

"What if you want me to jump out of the window, are you crazy?" She gives me a look as if I had just said the craziest thing ever.

"Just jump. I promise I'll catch you" I assure her.

"What if you don't and I fall?" She clearly has trust issues. But I don't blame her for that. Humans are the most unreliable species ever created.

"I promise. I will catch you." I move forward and spread my hands forward."

She closes her eyes shut and sighs. "Here we go."

She jumps down and lands straight in my arms. She slowly opens her eyes and I just can't stop staring at her enchanting eyes.

She clears her throat and I let her down on the ground. She adjusts her glasses as she does so. She is in a pair of pink pajamas and a big pink flip flop.

"What are you doing here at this time of the night anyway?"

"Remember I made a promise to you earlier in the day?"

"Oh yeah. But isn't it a bit late? I can't leave the house by this time of the night."

I take her hands gently into mine and teleport her to the highest rooftop in the city. "I think you just did"

She looks around and is mesmerized to see how high we are standing. Returning her gaze back at me, she smiles widely. "This is beautiful."

"Want to get a closer view?"

"Hell yeah"

"Hold on to my body tight." I tell her and she does so, hugging me tight and gently.

I promise myself that I would make this night one of her best memories. I teleport the both of us to the center of the quiet city.

She opens her eyes and looks beneath us, gasping at the realization that we are floating on air and the city is just right under our feet.

She freaks out. "Baek, get me down!"

"Hey, hey, look at me." She looks into my eyes and calms down.

"This is crazy." She whispers as the wind blows through her silk hair. She looks beautiful under the starry night.

The next second, we appear at the peak of a mountain.

"This is going to be the most unforgettable night of my life." She laughs and tells me. I smile too.

"Me too."

After teleporting to different places, we finally arrive at the rooftop again. It is almost 3am in the morning.

We lay on our backs and watch the skies together. A short while later, Hera lets out a sigh.

"What did Jimin mean when he said your existence will be wiped off?"

I take a moment before answering to her question.

"Well, if a god fails at his duty, his existence is automatically wiped off after ninety nine days if he fails to correct his mistake. His existence will be replaced by another god until another god that is destined to be a grim reaper is born."

"Then why did you forfeit your responsibility and risk your life for mine?"

"You're a good person and the world needs more people like you. Besides…"

She cuts in before I could finish my sentence. "Shh. I'm waiting for a shooting star."

She continues to wait until she falls asleep on my chest. I see a shooting star pass by and I whisper into her ears.

"Here's one." But she is already asleep and cannot hear me. What a waste.

I do not believe in shooting stars but I make a wish anyway. At least, for her.

"In your next life, I want you to be the same Hera I know."

I appear in her bedroom and gently lay her on her bed as I watch her sleep comfortably. I cover her with her blanket and turn to leave but stop to my feet again. I pause and place a kiss on her forehead. I stretch my hand, summoning the black rose I had thrown away earlier.

The black rose petal appears on my hand and I place it beside her on the bed. I leave the room through the window and shut it close as I do so.

As I stand outside the house, staring at her window, I cannot help but smile. Tonight was magical and I enjoyed every moment I had spent with her.

Hopefully, this is not the last but the beginning.