⊱Le mensonge est caché dans la vérité⊰

The lie is hidden in truth

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Hallucination.

Such impressive power was bestowed upon him. I wondered why. Anyone could argue that it was because of the Sin he represented, but showing different fantasies to people was so alike to what he used to do as a dancer. As if one was taken to a different world of beautiful illusions.

Snapping out of my daze, I reminded myself once again that I was a Virtue now and he was not who he used to be anymore. I took decisive steps towards the person he was tricking and let my powers flow to the man, breaking him out of the hallucinations in the end, a newfound feeling overpowering his desire for wealth.

Jimin snapped his head at me and his frown fell when his glistering yellow eyes found me. I couldn't help but marvel at the way his eyes sparkled like melted gold under hundreds of spotlights. They searched mine, widening slightly.

"Seeing your eyes turned white like the rest of your body is kind of scary." He took small steps towards me and flashed me something of a mix of smile and smirk. "Hey there, angel."

My breath hitched at the nickname but I cleared my throat and brushed my hair to stay focused. "I'm not an angel so you shouldn't... Just call me Sae- Charity."

"Oh, I don't really care about your terminologies in heaven, angel. I'm from the other place." His plush lips tugged up further to a charming smile, one that used to affect everyone. Almost everyone. "I see that you're realizing where you should be standing now. Against me. Not beside me, right, angel?"

I tightened my lips. "Ignoring the way you're addressing me, I say that shouldn't matter. Of course I should act as a Virtue, but we can still get along? You know, like frenemies."

Jimin laughed, his eyes narrowing into crescents. The sound as bright as sunshine after days of rain. "Frenemies? Wow, you're really interested in me, aren't you?"

"More than that, actually," I admitted in a whisper and his laughter died down before he visibly gulped, his adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"Are spoiled rich daughters all this brazen?"

My eyes widened at his words. He knew who I was? He knew that I was the daughter of the head of his company but kept quiet? He couldn't possibly...

"S-Spoiled rich daughter?"

"I heard you were one before dying from illness." He approached me with slow strides, closing the distance between us until he stood less than inches away from me, ours chests nearly touching. "I don't know further than the fact that you used to do charities with your parents' filthy money."

A surge of irritation rushed through my veins despite the agitation I felt from the closeness of his face in front of mine. The muscle above my eyebrows twitched. "Correction. It's my money that I earned through working and I mostly did services instead of giving funds."

His eyebrows lifted and a lazy smile slowly appeared on his lips. "My bad, angel. It's impressive that you used to work in that condition instead of choking on your parents' fortune. Hard to believe, really."

Hearing him talk like he was above me and acting like I was a snobbish spoiled kid when he didn't even know me was changing my perception of him. It was infuriating at the least. He wasn't one to judge me when he himself was in hell for something related to greed. My cheeks were heating up for a different reason this time.

"Why else do you think I'm in heaven as Charity, you halfwit?" I sneered, crossing my arms. He froze at my sudden switch, making me scoff internally. "Didn't think you were such a judgmental prick who downplays others' efforts to do something. A former celebrity? Your life must not have been clean for you to become a Sin and stand here before me."

Blinking out of his stupor, he breathed out a chuckle and his eyes shone golden, riled up. "So this doll can bite, huh?" His hand slid down the side of my face, trailing goosebumps over my skin until it lifted strands of my hair to twirl them in his fingers. "But how hard can you bite, though?"

"Hard until it bleeds," I murmured. Just then, I remembered that I shouldn't antagonize him. Reaching out a hand to hold his face, fingers brushing his sharp jawline, I whispered, "But I don't want to bite. I... I want to kiss."

My skin crawled as soon as the words left my lips. I screamed internally like a madman but held my gaze soft as best as I could.

A frown marred Jimin's features. "What do you see in me? I'm so confused. I'm sure you're just lying."

"Am I?" I softened my eyes in hurt, tilting my head and caressing his soft cheek with my thumb. "I do like you but I don't really know why. Just know that."

Silence hung between us as we stared at each other, trying to read the other. The chatters of humans around us was a faint noise in the background that we couldn't acknowledge, engrossed in the feeling of each other's touches and the intensity of our eyes. It was impossible to notice when my soul was nearly stripped before him.

A sigh left him, making me hold a breath. "You should appreciate what you have now. Stop while you can before you're in danger."

He disappeared before my eyes, his touch still faint on my skin and hair. My knees buckled and I sat down on the hospital floor before letting out a long exhale. Behaving like I had romantic feelings was still so difficult, but I somehow managed to pull through this time.

It wasn't dangerous if I was not the one breaking rules. I wouldn't dare. For Jimin, I would never. He was a stranger to me before he's a dancer I liked. If anyone might be breaking the rules in the future, it would be him.

I had to make sure of that.

What whirled in my mind again and again after he disappeared was the sorrow in his dark eyes when I mentioned his past life. I had no rights to delve into his personal life, but my mind was often occupied with it, wondering and wondering again.

I gasped when something bumped into my back, thrusting me forward.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I... I didn't see you there..."

I turned around in shock to find a girl looking at me worriedly.

"W-Wait," I whispered, standing up. "You can... see me?"

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