CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX | HER HUMAN

We were never meant to be
but even so. . .
I still want you

• • •

"Dallia."

"Dallia you have to wake up. You have school."

The reaper grimaced, reaching out to shrug her body lightly. "Come on, I'm not your babysitter, Lia." He grunted and sat on the edge of her bed, watching her peacefully doze off. Considering she wasn't able to sleep quite well last night, after their hours of deep talking, he may be a little guilty of being the reason why she was going to be late.

"I'm giving you five more fucking minutes, Lia." He said sternly before rising up from her bed and decided to stroll around her bedroom. His eyes trailed over numerous objects that weren't familiar to him. He kept scanning around until he finally docked his attention onto her bookshelves.

He looked over at Dallia, seeing her slowly waking up. Mark nodded curtly and made his way towards the shelf, the countable pictures frames easily catching his attention. Curiously, he examined them one by one, trying to recognize the faces displayed. He knew each of them, except one. A little boy, same dark hair as Dallia, face filtered genuine joviality and that toothy grin almost reaching up to his eyes.

Intrigued, he reached out for the frame, bringing it up close to get a clearer view. A family of four. Everyone had smiled upon their faces. It was almost unbelievable for Mark.

When his eyes flickered onto a specific person, he couldn't help but smile a little bit. His thumb grazing over the person's face, as if wanting to grasp that specific moment. He wanted to see that bright smile on the person's face – at least again.

Dallia looks beautiful when smiling.

He has never seen her smile before, at least not the creepy kind. He rolls his eyes and sniggered at the thought. Of course, there were times Dallia had a smile on her face, but they never radiated so much joy unlike the one in the photo. Though, judging by how young she looked in the photo, it seemed as if the photo was taken years before the incident; years before the car accident.

And that brought him back to the little boy. Who is he? Was, of course, his first question. Dallia never brought up about—his thoughts came to a stop. Trying to form the right words in his mind until it finally clicked to him.

Her brother!

He admired the young boy's features, seeing a few similarities between him and his sister. Mark knew about Dallia's little brother, or also known as Chae Duri. The two of them were the most affected during the accident, resulting in Dallia getting into a coma for months-long and when she woke up, she was like a whole other person. The crash had made a huge effect on her brain, and doctors who have studied her case thought that it was the reason for her unusual behavior.

However, Dallia wasn't the only one who went into a deep slumber. Her brother...also suffered. Mark remembered Jaemin telling him about how Dallia was sent to the mental hospital for her unworldly behavior and her callous actions towards her brother.

She had stitched him up.

"Mark?"

The said male flinched, nearly dropping the picture frame in his grasp. He spun around quickly, seeing that Dallia was already dressed in her uniform, which means he had been staring into his thoughts again.

"Are you okay?" Her soft voice sent thrills down his spine. She walked towards him, her gaze faltering onto the picture frame and she gasped lightly. "My memories."

"Your memories?" Mark furrowed his brows, handing her the picture frame and she nodded as her response. "It's the only thing I have as proof." She said, wiping the thick frame with her fingers.

"Proof of what?"

Dallia laughs a little before looking up at Mark, somehow getting lost in the galaxies he held in his eyes. How soft strokes of brown and gold made his eyes pop out, they were absolutely beautiful. "Proof that I'm not heartless...that I can smile."

Mark chuckled, ruffling her hair playfully. "I already told you, you're not heartless."

"Your reason?"

Mark dipped down, his face inches from hers, and Dallia's breath got caught up in her throat. Not knowing what to do, she just let herself get entirely lost in his eyes.

She felt alive. So alive.

Subconsciously, she had reached up to her chest, a hand over her heart as her eyes widened a little, feeling the faintest beat of her heart.

Mark eyed the hand over her heart and he brought her close, allowing himself to familiarize himself with her warmth and with her emotions. "Because, I could see the love in your eyes, and as someone opposite to life. I can tell when a person is alive."

"And right now, your heart is beating, and that's all that matters."

≫≫≫

"Seems like he's doing it all over again."

A bitter laugh escaped Beatrixe's lips. A foul grin plastered on her face as she glared up at the blue-haired life reaper. "Shut the fuck up, Jaemin."

The said boy grinned widely, noticing how he was able to kindle the little irked fire in her. Leaning towards her from the other side of the table, his palms lightly slamming onto the wooden surface. "Still can't give up on Mark?"

"I said shut up, Jaem." Beatrixe spat, glaring intently at the said boy who only cheekily smiled.

"Jaemin, I think Trixe really wants you to shut up," Jeno uttered out, sneaking glances at the girl who had her fists clenched, taking deep breaths to keep her calm sangfroid still.

"No shit I do." Beatrixe rolled her eyes, recoiling in her seat.

Jisung hummed, "What are you gonna do now? Mark...found someone again...and that's not you."

Jisung's words hit Beatrixe as lightning struck. Gnawing on the insides of her cheeks as she looked down at her lap. "It doesn't matter. As long as he's- happy..."

"Trixe, you can just tell him the truth you know."

"No. I'd rather prefer it to be like this. He hates me and I'm nothing but an annoying reaper to him."

Jaemin sighed, running his fingers through his hair habitually. "You know, Mark's still gonna end up killing her- well- I assume he would."

"Will he?" Jeno raised a brow, quite baffled after finding out about Mark's new interest. "I mean- I know it's his 'job' but we don't know. Papa didn't literally hand Dallia over for him to kill her, what if Papa's onto something?"

"And that is?"

Jeno shrugged, still unsure of his words, "Well, Mark is one of Papa's favorites. Death reapers aren't prohibited from falling in love either- for when they love, it is forever."

"Because people they love die." Jaemin corrected, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Quite unfair." They all averted their gaze onto Beatrixe who had a scowl on her face. "And when I fell in love, they erased- they erased—" she couldn't continue on, leaving it as it is before standing up abruptly to leave the lounge.

Jisung watched the female leave, a sigh leaving his lips. "I don't know which story is more tragic." The two older boys looked at the younger as he spoke.

"Beatrixe having to work with Mark- who had his memories removed and died only for Papa to turn him into a life reaper. Or Mark, who was once a life reaper, fell in love with his human, died again and became a death reaper, now falling in love with someone different."

"Both are tragic." Jeno stated, "Although I'm impressed with Beatrixe. The human she fell in love with had his memories erased and life restarted happened to be the reaper that despises her so much."

"Who was her human again?" Jaemin gazed up lazily, not quite paying attention to their attention.

Jeno shot him a glare before frowning, "Who else? Mark, of course."

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