Well done on making it to the end~

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Jeno sat quietly on the train, his temple against the glass window and his gaze listless. It felt like his whole life was a silly story, and that none of his actions really led to anything. His choices, his words, his ideas....none of them seemed to be his own, and it was a truly empty and lonely feeling.

Outside, amidst the buildings and pedestrians whirring past that would soon become countryside....he saw reflections. The tall adult blamed it on the fingerprints littering the transparent surface, deterring what should've been there. But those reflections resembled the people he had seen over the course of his bland, tasteless life. All the money and power in the world never gave him the one thing he'd wanted, and all the pushing and pulling he had to do never paid off.

Jaemin's cunning smirk was imprinted upon the glass, looking back at Jeno's own, lifeless face. It was as though the cheeky blonde was simply sitting on the other side, leaning his head against the dividing sheet as well and copying his actions. Even when the businessman blinked, Jaemin never went away.

Taeil, out of courtesy due to the younger's help, told Jeno all about it. About Jupiter. About Jaemin. About everything. He explained who 'The Original Three' were, and how they had impacted Seoul for better....and for worse. As it seemed, all three of those boys had now been taken down, and would most likely become those of unlikely legends. Stories that would be warped and bashed out of shape until there was no possible way they existed anymore.

But Jeno knew.

Donghyuck knew.

Mark, Renjun and Jaemin were real. They were as beautiful as lost galaxies, as dangerous as the tip of a blade, and as broken as shattered glass. To whoever had met the incredible trio, they were rather godly.

As the ravenette sighed and poked the surface by his head, Jaemin giggled soundlessly and did the same, like he had finally come to terms with his old friend's feelings. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did, Jeno thought, but it was a bit late now.

Escaping this city and running to another sounded awfully familiar, and Taeil had laughed at his plan when the taller had told him. His exact words were; "Wow. You and Nana are more alike than you think."

It was bullshit, but a nice sentiment nevertheless.

Eventually that reflection that didn't really belong disappeared, and with it, Jeno's pondering. He sat up straight again and tried to look ahead, not wanting to dwell on the past forever like those people in the movies. He knew he'd lose himself to his mind....

And he couldn't let that happen.

So for now, he'd say 'goodbye'. Perhaps that's what he'd wanted to tell Jaemin all along. Maybe that's the closure they all needed.

Mark never said goodbye.

Renjun never said goodbye.

Jaemin never said goodbye, and of course, neither did Haechan.

So now Jeno would. For all of them.

The Donghyuck now was a ruthless, 'soulless' leader, and one people were probably happy to have. The emotions he'd carried for so long had been 'snipped' and thrown away, never to be unleashed in case another Na Jaemin came for him. For his heart.

It appeared not only Jeno had changed.

꧁꧂

"Oh look who's arrived," Renjun tsked, nudging Mark and pointing to the figure of a blonde laying on the white sand. "This bitch died."

The taller man beside him arched his brow and couldn't help but elicit a short chuckle. "Wow. He hasn't aged a day."

"Really? I think he's uglier. Hey! I wonder if his finger is still gone!"

Before either could run to the temporarily unconscious adult who was now stuck here for the rest of eternity with them, Jisung sprinted ahead and slid along the powdery ground by the water's edge and crash landed beside Jaemin. "Hah! I'll literally hold his head underwater forever and ever now. This guy is gonna wish he'd never died."

"Ji, maybe let him wake up first," Mark hummed, wandering over and pulling the tall male up. "I know you two are salty-"

"Ah, nice pun," Renjun beamed, the sun catching his beautiful features and lighting him up. "Salty? We're by the sea? I like it."

"I'm glad you liked it," the oldest pulled him in by his waist for a quick kiss, "But furthermore, he'll be here forever, and we need to sort this shit out. When Donghyuck arrives eventually, he'll want to beat his ass as well."

"He'll be a crippled grandad," Jisung giggled, already pulling Jaemin's airy white top up and sprinkling sand over him. "I'll really be able to call him 'old man'."

Really, none of them knew for sure if Lee Donghyuck would ever appear in this purgatory with them. Mark had believed he'd be alone on this endless beach for the rest of time, but when the youngest appeared, it changed the picture a bit.

"Hey, wake up," Jisung started nudging the body with his foot. "Sleeping is for losers."

"Give me five fucking minutes to compose myself!" The blonde hissed, one eye cracking open only a little before closing again.

Everyone went silent, sort of left wondering if he was for real....or simply in denial.

But it seemed the former was the case, as the now deceased outlaw suddenly sat up in a quick motion and scrambled to look around. He eyed the horizon lining the ocean, then the sand he sat upon, and finally the three presumable angels staring down at him. At first, he wanted to lay back down and fall back to sleep....

But this didn't feel like a lucid dream to him.

"Great. I'm being punished, aren't I?"

"Technically we all are," Renjun murmured. "Mark was sent here three years ago-"

"Which I'm seriously surprised about. It feels like it's been a few weeks," the old leader interrupted.

"-And one by one, those associated with either you or Hyuck are placed in here. In what we call 'Hell's Purgatory'."

"H-How do you know that?" The new arrival frowned, getting up and dusting himself down. Whoever had dressed him was a maniac. He looked like a bloody pirate with this huge, open top and beige, three-quarter length pants.

"We're guessing," Renjun continued. "Mark nor I deserve to ascend with the angels, if they exist. Jisung, however, doesn't make sense. We're still working out ideas."

"Ugh, all of that talk later!" The youngest rubbed his hands together with a smug smile. "First, it's time for payback."

Oh fuck....

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~The End~

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I hope the small ending took the edge off the angst?
Thanks guys, I'll see you in the author's note.