"Because we're Grim Reapers."

Taehyung choked himself on his own saliva.

"What? G-g-grim R-reapers?" Taehyung took a look at the two men.

This can't be real, right?

"And am I supposed to believe that?" Taehyung scorned as he crossed his arms, acting cool and brave.
But to be clear, it has already started to scare him just from their auras and the way they know who he is. He just didn't want to believe it right away and make a fool out of himself by panicking if they weren't really grim reapers.

"Then what do you think how we know you're Kim Taehyung?"

"Who would've thought Grim Reapers also wear suits?" Taehyung scoffed as he rest his back on the chair.

That made the two men to look at each other, then to Taehyung and cleared their throats.
"It's because we're in modern society right now. Of course it's an upgrade. Do you expect us to wear long black dresses and carry a scythe or something?"

"U-upgrade? Woah! No wonder Grim Reapers has assistants too. Is that also an upgrade?" Taehyung side eyed the younger who just smiled at him.

"At least you believe us now. I thought you'd faint from our introduction but I guess you're quite brave. But I'm sure I didn't hear you wrong when you said you're stupid by yourself a while ago."

Taehyung glared at the grim reaper who just cheekily smirked.

But it's a clear fact that the two men are Grim Reapers for real.
And if it's real, then what are they doing here?
What grim reapers usually do is-

"Am I.... Am I going to... die? Is that why you're here?"

"No. It's not you. But that person has to die."

Taehyung furrowed his eyebrows when the grim reaper pointed his finger right to him.

"So... you mean... Taeun is the one to die?" Taehyung felt his knees weakened when the man nodded. "When? Is it now? Then why... why am I here in her body... I mean-"

"Don't worry. It's not today."

Taehyung tilted his head at that. It's confusing.
"If you're not here to take her, then what are you doing here?"

Lee Dong Wook chuckled looking at Taehyung frowning in dazed.

"We weren't supposed to be here but we had to come since you were being stupid and causing chaos in front of the hospital. You can't just act as you please without thinking when you're in that body."

Taehyung rolled his eyes, "it's not like I want to be in this body. And I just got cheated on by my ex whom I trust, how do you expect me to act? I was angry."

"But Taeun is not someone who is loud and weird like you acted."

"But I'm not her?" Taehyung shrugged his shoulders but then took a deep breath as he tried to control his frustration.

"But you have to be her for the time being until you go back to your own body."

Taehyung paused. So it's possible for him to go back to his own body. But it's obvious that he's frustrated when he let out a long sigh.
"So... you can make me go back to my body?"

"Of course, because the one who sent your soul to her body... was me."

"What?" Taehyung frowned, "why? I mean... I'm not even related to her, I have no connection with this women in any aspect and I've never crossed path with her in my life so why am I even here inside her body particularly? Why me?"

A moment of silence as the grim reapers stared down at Taehyung, and that actually made chills run down his spine.

"Because you meddled with my job."

"What? I did? What did I do? How? When?"

"You remember you caused an accident last night, don't you?" Lee Dong Wook raised one side of eyebrow when Taehyung nodded after a few seconds of silence before he continued,

"The person who got hit by your car... was Taeun."

Taehyung paused into another silence after hearing it.
So it was her? It's starting to make a little sense now. But how come she's not hurt anywhere? And she was even in Jungkook's house when he woke up.

"I know you still have a lot of questions, and I have answers for all of them. But the first thing you should know is, Taeun wasn't supposed to die or get hurt last night. It wasn't in her fate."

Taehyung frowned again at that, hard to believe what the grim reaper who called himself Lee Dong Wook was even saying. But the other young looking grim reaper showed him Taeun's fate list from an iPad-like thing.

"Wow? Grim Reapers has iPads too?"

Taehyung covered his mouth with his fingers to shut himself up when he noticed the two glaring at him. He didn't even realize how his mind traveled to his mouth. It's just too funny and fascinating at the same time to imagine Grim Reapers owning iPads.

"It's not an iPad, it's called Fate Book. It's a book that has all the fates of every single person written here from birth till death including their past life and next life. And it's a very sacred book for us Grim Reapers so we—"

"Enough. Enough. It's not an iPad, right? Ok. Case closed. Just show me what you were trying to show earlier," Taehyung quickly waved his hand to make the grim reaper stop the long explanation.

"Oh yes," Kwak Dong Yeon cleared his throat when Taehyung reminded him. "Here's Taeun's fate."

Taehyung's eyes narrowed as he look at the 'Fate Book'.
"So... Taeun is... supposed to die 2 years later?"

Kwak Dong Yeon closed the book and as he put it inside his coat, "Yes. But Kim Taehyung, which means you, hit her with your car yesterday. She's not dead yet but she's—"

"Where is she? In my body? Am I right?"

After a pause, "Yes. She's in your body right now," Kwang Dong Yeon answered what Taehyung was dying to know.

Just as he thought. They switched their souls.

"If she's in my body, why don't you just switch us back to our own bodies? Why would you complicate things for me?"

"Because she's already half dead now. So as your body."

Taehyung turned towards Lee Dong Wook when he declared. "What... what do you mean?"

But the grim reaper sighed as he gestured the other to show him something to which the other nodded before opening the 'Fate Book' again.

"That's your fate, Kim Taehyung-ssi. It was already in your fate that you'll be in a car accident last night, and that you'll be in coma for 3 years. Isn't it like your body is half dead too?"

Taehyung felt like his head was hurting because of what he just got to know about his own self.

3 years in coma? 3 years? That long? But why tho? He sure heard the doctor saying he'll wake up in less than a week.

"And... why was the doctor saying something else? He said I'll wake up by—"

"Kim Taehyung-ssi, who has the fate book here? That doctor or us?"

Taehyung was taken aback a bit. He already know he should believe what they said, but just didn't want to admit that he's really gonna be in coma for 3 years.

"I'll be promoted in two weeks. I seriously can't be here like this," Taehyung almost cried as reality struck him. Because his reality now is that he's not him anymore.

"You're worrying about your promotion when you're in this situation?" Lee Dong Wook shook his head.

"Do you even know how hard I work for it? I sacrificed my time that I could've spent with my family and friends, my enjoyment, everything just for this work so I can give at least something back to my family. I wanted to help my little sister for her university. I wanted to give my parents a big house. But it's all in vain now." And now, Taehyung is actually crying.

The grim reaper sighed as he looked at him crying his eyes out.
"We know. We know how hard you worked and how much you wanted to give your family. That's why we're here to help you."

Taehyung paused to look up at the the grim reaper as the other continued.

"But we can't change what's written for you though, and we can't switch you back to your body yet."

"What do you mean?" Taehyung wiped the tears away from his face as he curiously asked.

"Because Taeun already died yesterday but also can't die yet." Kwak Dong Yeon clarified as he closed the fate book.
"Her soul has already separated from her body but we're not allowed to take her with us because it's not her time to die yet in the fate book. She's like a half dead; neither dead, yet nor alive. And that's why Hyung-nim let her wait for her time by keeping her in your body which is in coma because she can't go back to her own body anymore."

"And my soul is inside someone who isn't supposed to die yet?" Taehyung continued in place of the grim reaper who just nodded in agreement.

"Your fate was only supposed to be in the accident alone by yourself while saving the cat and be in coma for 2 years. But you ended up meddling with Taeun's life and death, and as your punishment, your fate to be in coma changed and extended for 1 more year."

Taehyung's head almost burst with all the things the grim reaper continued to explain his situation.

"But... wasn't it my fate to be in coma? So why should I be the one living her life in this body instead? Shouldn't I be punished for ruining her life? ugh... I feel so sorry for her... I..."

Taehyung covered his face with his palm as his mind flooded with regrets of causing all these mess to Taeun's life unknowingly.

"Because there're so many things she has to do and fulfill in this life but she can't do any of that now because of you."
Lee Dong Wook sighed as he look at Taehyung whose eyes filled with sadness, regret and curiosity.

"If you want to go back to your body, safe and sound, you have to agree with my deal."

"Deal?" Taehyung tilted his head, "what deal?"

"Hmm... you have to live as Taeun and do the things she was supposed to do in these rest two years of her life. If you do your job well, your punishment to be in coma for one more year will be lifted. That means, you'll be back to your own body in two years just the moment Taeun's time to die comes, which is 2 years from now and you'll no longer be in coma by then. But if you don't agree with my deal, you have to be still in coma for 1 more year even after going back to your own body after 2 years."

Taehyung tried to process what he just heard.
So he has to live as Taeun for 2 years so he can be back to his body?
Living as a whole another person he knows nothing about— it's not an easy thing to do.
But he has to do it if he wants his body back. Or else he would be in coma for 1 more year, which he definitely don't want to happen.

"Tae?"

He snapped his head when he heard a voice and there was Jungkook standing beside him with a bag of groceries on his hand.

His eyes still on Taehyung as he keep the bag on the table to pat his back gently.
"Shall we go home?"

But Taehyung's eyes were on the grim reaper standing up with a smile, putting the hat on the table back on his head.

"I'll take it as a yes to the deal. Well, you don't have any other choice anyway. But don't worry. I know you'll do great. Just make sure not to let him know you're not Taeun, or else everything will be messed up. Go home with him. I'll tell you more soon when we meet again."

Taehyung flinched when Jungkook tapped his shoulder.
"Where are you looking in the empty air?"

And just then, the two men vanished in the thin air like a smoke.

Taehyung still couldn't believe this is not a dream but reality.
He just looked at Jungkook who's busy picking up the bags from the table.

From the way he has been acting since morning, which probably might be so different from what Taeun used to act, but Jungkook hasn't said anything or asked for any explanation from him yet. All he does is speaking to him sweetly. He seems to care for his girlfriend so much.

Too bad she's going to die early without spending much time with him. No. She's already not here anymore because it's Taehyung who's here instead of her.

Wonder what will he react if he finds out this fact.

But nobody's gonna reveal the truth to Jungkook.
Nobody.

****

I don't know if the book is interesting or not so far but hope it's not boring 😅
Please feel free to comment down your thoughts on the book so I can improve myself more.

See you in next week Purples ◕ ‿ ◕
I💜U