Fulfilled

-Where are you going? Minho patted the empty space besides him before opening his eyes.

In the darkness of night stood the shadow of his lover. On the edge of the bed, slowly bent forward.

Minho's raspy voice lingered softly on Jisung's mind before he answered.

-I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back in no time.

-Okay, Minho smiled and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep again.

Jisung dragged his feet outside the room and closed the door behind him. He looked in the mirror and saw the wreck he became withing a few minutes of silently crying in the dark.

He dropped on the cold tiles and curled up in a ball.

He had five days left. Five days to say goodbye to the people he helplessly grew to love. After 400 years... he was finally going to die.

"My child, you are very ill and I fear no doctor can help you. We burdened you with our secret and now our love is slowly taking your vital energy away. We're sorry, my son! Please don't cry! We're doing this for you!"

Jisung remembered his father's last words and sobbed into his palms.

That was his 8th birthday and the day he found out about his curse. The day his parents told him about it and decided to to kill themselves in order to offer him more years.

"Jisung-ah... You deserve to have a happy life! You cannot die until you have truly lived. Until you became fulfilled. Do you promise to be happy?" his mother said as she caressed his face with her gentle hands.

-How do I know when I'm fulfilled, mom? Jisung voiced the question he never got to ask out loud.

The happy days were fading before the years of misery he had gone through.

How could he say he was fulfilled when he was about to hurt so many people? How could he ease the pain for them? How could he go knowing he would never get to hold his Minho ever again? How could he do to him the same thing Areum did when she died?

"Promise me! Promise me that you'll take care of my daughter and her child and that child's child. Promise me, Jisung! I need them to be watched over by someone. And there's no one I trust more than you." Areum said on her death bed as she squeezed Jisung's hand.

She made him promise to be that family's guardian angel. And he did exactly that by watching from far away and making sure to protect them without any direct interventions. Beside that one time...

He was out for a late walk when he spotted a kid crying on a bench. He knew he should had ignored him, but he also knew he would had hated himself if he did so. Therefore he bought a chocolate bar and gave it to the kid to cheer him up.

-Are you lost, child?

-Yeah... I followed a kitty and I lost my grandma. Did you see her? Jisung shook his head.

-Do you know your address? I can walk you home.

-Really? It's so dark and scary... and my grandma told me to never walk alone at night.

-She's a wise woman. Let's go! he held his hand in the air for the little boy to grab it.

-Are you dangerous, mister? Strangers are scary.

-Are you scared of me? Jisung asked blatantly.

-No.

-Then I must not be a stranger.

-Makes sense, the child whispered to himself which amused Jisung. What is on your wrist?

-I doodled on it out of boredom.

-Oh... Why those numbers?

-I didn't have imagination. Is this your building?

The kid nodded with a smile.

-Take care, kiddo!

-What's your name, sir?

-Jisung.

-I'm Yongbok, he chuckled.

"Jisung! Hear me out! Seungmin has this crazy theory about lifespans. That we could control our time on Earth by completing a mission. Maybe we can ask him for help."

"I said no, Felix! I don't need more people to pity me. There's no answer to this curse..."

Jisung gasped as he pieced everything together. Every single interaction, argument, death, heartbreak... Every led him to the Lee brothers...

"I used go push people away."

"What changed?"

"The Lee brothers."

Jisung recalled Hyunjin's words and looked at his statement in a completely different light.

"Fulfilled..."

"a mission"

"take care of them..."

"Yongbok"

"The Lee brothers..."

And then it clicked.

-This is my mission...

He had taken an oath to Areum to protect her family and promised his mother to be happy. He had never achieved both... until now. Felix and Minho were Areum's family. And the people that made him the happiest. That's why he was dying so fast. He had accomplished his mission.

He was indeed fulfilled.

The next day

-Jisung, I need to talk to the organisers! Let go of me! Jisuuuung! Felix whined as he was being pushed forward by the older.

He got kidnapped in the middle of an important call and got dragged inside the bathroom where he was forced to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

-What's going on? Felix asked annoyed. Do you... Do you feel sick? Is there something wrong? Does it hurt somewhere? he got up fully panicking and checked Jisung's wrist.

-Even in moments like this... you still think of others first, Jisung smiled. It's about time you think about yourself, Lixie.

Felix was even more confused. Jisung was acting weird and that just frightened him more.

-I have a present for you.

-For me? -Yes. You did so much for me and I thought I could return the favour.

-Jisung, I don't need anything! I just want you to be healthy and happy, Felix explained, yet Jisung didn't even notice.

-I'm going to tell you a secret, Lix. I have one more superpower that comes with the curse. I haven't told anyone about it.

-What is it? Felix started freaking out internally.

-I can time travel, Jisung winked. Here's the proof! he took a photo out of his pocket and handed it to the freckled boy.

The latter looked at the faces of the two people in it, oblivious of the meaning of the gesture.

They looked ordinary. Just a man and a pregnant woman dancing in their living room next to the Christmas dinner table.

-What's this? Felix asked confused.

-It's you, Lix. Right here! Jisung pointed towards the woman's belly.

-Wh-what? Felix froze in his tracks, trying to process the information.

-Those are your parents, Lix. During the Christmas before you were born. You told me you don't remember them. I thought I could bring them closer to you with this. They seem quite happy.

-How do you have this? Felix's hands trembled on the photo.

-Your grandma gave it to me. She knew who I was. But I didn't know who you were when we met one year ago. It clicked last night when I remembered a small kid asking me to take him home since he got lost from his grandma. You've grown into a wonderful person, Yongbok!

Jisung patted the boy on his head as he stared at him with loving eyes. Felix widened his eyes as he recalled the encounter from years ago.

-Jisung...

-I was meant to protect you. I'm glad I met you both! You made me so happy for these past months. And to think I was such an ass to you at the beginning...

-Thank you! Thank you so much! Felix broke down at he buried his face into his palms to cry his heart out. You gave me my parents back. You gave me my brother back. You helped me understand who I am. I love you so much, Jisung! I... I'm so grateful for showing up in our lives! I'm so grateful to you for making my brother so happy! And for being a brother to me as well!

Felix reached with his arms for the older and pulled him into a tight hug. Jisung held back his tears and enjoyed their embrace.

Suddenly a knock at the door managed to snap them back to reality.

-This is Seungmin, Jisung explained.

Felix frowned his eyebrows as he spotted his best friend entering the already cramped space with a make-up kit.

-That's all I have. Jeongin snatched it from the studio, Seungmin said.

-Great! Remind me to buy him a drink for this.

-What's going on?

-Have you been crying? Seungmin started to worry.

-A bit, Felix smiled. I just got emotional for having such good friends. I love you both so much!

Seungmin smiled back as he crouched down to wipe Felix's tears with tissues.

-Now would you tell me what are we doing? Felix found himself blindfolded and led down the stairs by his two friends.

When they stopped his heart did too. He didn't understand what was about to happen and only when he was allowed to see he made sense of their actions.

The hotel had a ball room. That's exactly where he was. His jaw dropped as he stared at the golden detailed on the walls and overall at everything inside that sanctuary.

He was dressed in a suit and his reflection in the polished floor was glowing.

-Can I have this dance? a voice asked from behind.

Felix turned around to see Changbin, more handsome than ever.

________________It hurts to think this story is close to its ending...

So is Jisung's journey...

Thank you for reading!