The bubbling feelings and hot tears tingling in Seonghwa's eyes dried at once. When the two shadows formed into human shapes and shook off their black coats, he shot up from his seat on the table. Trembling hands clutched over his mouth to stifle his gasp.

The two spirits before him were ghostly pale, almost see-through, like the rest of Hongjoong's companions. Seonghwa recognised his father immediately since he looked the same as the day he had left their world. With his hair still in full lushness and his smile warm.

The woman by his side was almost a stranger. In life, Seonghwa's mother had been so beautiful. Long hair curled down to her hip and her eyes twinkled at the sight of Seonghwa. She looked so different. So pretty and warm. In this jarring difference, Seonghwa quickly understood how he had been tending to a corpse.

This was how his parents looked like back then, before he was born. Before the shadow of death fell over their entire family.

They were a young couple, foolishly in love.

Seeing their past as an adult, Seonghwa grew nostalgic for the family he never had. Death accompanied his entire life.

But they had done it for him. Tried so hard so he could be happy. They felt deeply for each other and their child.

Their sorrow at his tears brought them closer. Cold hands ghosted over the living flesh of the son they would never see as equals again. All that remained was the shell of his mother's body at his home.

"Mother, father," Seonghwa wept and when they realised where they were, who Seonghwa was with, their features clouded over.

"This person," his father began, hovering their hands near Seonghwa to pat his shoulders even when they couldn't touch him.

Seonghwa shook his head.

"He told me everything. Seeing you two here... I suppose it's true," he whispered, heartbroken about their care and ignorance both at once.

Ashamed, his father averted his gaze. Seonghwa's mother remained worried.

What did she think of the pact her husband made? Did she agree? Was she too sick to have a say? She never told Seonghwa she was undead. Kept the secret and warned him of the mountains. Even when everyone fell sick, she had known why.

"Please tell me," Seonghwa whispered. His reunion with his parents wasn't joyous. It was unnatural, and he knew they deserved to rest. That getting attached would become dangerous.

Seonghwa was still alive. The barrier Hongjoong wandered was most unnatural.

"Tell me if it's true. Tell me if you knew about this mark all along... I don't blame your love for each other or even selling me as your bargain. You didn't know back then who I would be and... I know you loved me. That is why you did it." Seonghwa bit his trembling lip, gulping against the knot in his throat.

"Just... Why didn't you tell me? Were you so afraid of losing me? Hongjoong helped you. He gave you so much time. Mother, when I discovered him, why didn't you speak the truth? Why would you make so many suffer?"

Torn, his parents' spirits glanced at each other. In the background, the others lingered around Hongjoong, curious about the presence of these new characters. Hongjoong muttered to his peculiar friends, not allowing their sabotage to disrupt the conversation.

"We couldn't sacrifice you," Seonghwa's mother whispered. "We wished it could have been undone and that your father never chose me over you, but the necromancer's magic had its fixed terms. No pleading and crying shook his mind."

"The village... How could you sacrifice the entire village for a single life?"

Ashamed, the two avoided his gaze.

There was no good explanation. Selfishness had driven them. Their love for one another betrayed their vow to Hongjoong, as if Seonghwa's mother wasn't living proof of the necromancer keeping his oath.

"We wanted you to live like a normal boy," his father tried. "If we imagined your time running out or the necromancer slaughtering you for your soul... No parent could have done this."

They were good parents, yes, loyal lovers, but their decision made so many others suffer.

Seonghwa sighed. He wrapped his arms around himself again, warming himself against the chill of the cave.

"Thank you for being good parents," Seonghwa muttered, since this would be the only chance to tell them. The only moment his love could come across to the people they were in their hearts.

"I'm sorry you ever had to meet him. That you couldn't avoid his curse. I wish I would have been stronger," his mother pushed, but Seonghwa averted his face.

"I heard enough."

The two vanished before they could shake up Seonghwa any more. As soon as their shadows were gone, Seonghwa exhaled in a shuddering gasp.

No, he was glad to have met Hongjoong. Glad to have saved even a single soul when his parents didn't own up for their mistakes.

For a few moments, Seonghwa sat there with vacant eyes. He stared at the ground before him, shaken in every niche of his being. His whole life had been dedicated to someone else. Someone who had awaited him so patiently.

"Now, is it time to kill me for what I have done?" Hongjoong spoke through the silence. The whispering of the spirits was far again, leaving them some privacy to return with their pranks once Seonghwa sorted himself out. They didn't look too worried about Hongjoong. Knew they could still play once he crossed that border to the other world.

A new fire crackled behind the necromancer, casting him in eerie shadows. He hovered on the other side of the table, open and vulnerable. The blade by Seonghwa's side was untouched. So easily drawn and easily stabbed into his undead chest.

Seonghwa didn't touch it.

"N-No... You were robbed of your reward. When you granted life and so many years to them. You were fair and just, and they knew what would happen if they didn't comply."

The fire warmed him, but the chill of his insides lingered. Perhaps it was a disappointment in his parents. Perhaps he was still scared.

Hongjoong didn't approach him. Left him time to gather himself.

"I have no right to kill you. I should have been yours. Then none of this would have happened."

Seonghwa hadn't known he could have saved so many. That his survival cost their lives in the first place. Hongjoong never tried to harm him. He let Seonghwa warm up to him at his pace and even now, offered him a choice.

He wasn't the monster in this story. He was the most human one in his understanding.

When Seonghwa exhaled with another shudder, he gathered his mind. If he let it get to him, he would burden the guilt of these deaths. Of all that suffering, while Seonghwa was at peace and healthy.

So brittle, his sanity. So human.

Hongjoong offered him some water. Seonghwa sipped it slowly while the necromancer cleaned up the table around him. This potion wouldn't get done today.

"They were afraid to let you go. Afraid of me. My work isn't suitable for the living. It's macabre and scary. I should have known better than to help a random person. But I was happy to be of aid. Thought it nice to communicate with the needs of the village."

Seonghwa would have done the same.

Hongjoong had also been lonely. Everyone made a mistake in this situation.

But no innocent person should suffer for that anymore.

"My mother... what is left of her. Will she die?"

"Only if I release the spell or die myself," Hongjoong replied, gentle.

Her purpose was long over. The man who granted her another life was gone. Now, she would also lose her son.

"She can barely move. Can't go into the light or tend to herself. I think... I think it's best to let her rest. She should have rested long ago."

After seeing her spirit, Seonghwa couldn't go back to how they had been. Felt nauseous at the thought of tending to a corpse that only existed for his emotional attachment.

"Are you sure?"

"You waited for so long. I can't make up for their mistake, but please. Let me stay by your side. Please spare the village. I will leave everything behind and own up to what I owe. And I want her to be at peace."

Hongjoong contemplated him in silence. Let the flames dance their merry cheer, ignorant of Seonghwa's suffering.

"We can continue where we left off. Can stop everything. No one else needs to die if you visit me even just occasionally," Hongjoong promised. "You may stay with your mother or we may let her rest. The choice is yours."

"Thank you for giving her more life. For giving me a mother," Seonghwa whispered. Fresh tears brimmed in his eyes and Hongjoong wiped them for him, understanding his decision.

"Let her rest. And let's work hard on the spells to soothe the village," Seonghwa pleaded.

"So be it."

Seonghwa reached below his shirt to undo the leather belt slung around his body. He sheathed the blade and took a deep breath. Grounded himself against this news.

What a shocking two days it had been. Three, perhaps. From realising his feelings for Hongjoong to learning he was the necromancer who cursed these lands, all the way to this new pact.

What would he tell the mayor and the priest? Jongho, who expected him to dispel the cloud of evil? Should he just admit it was his fault? The villagers were restless with their grief. If they heard Seonghwa dedicated his life to the necromancer in the mountain, they would come with fire to chase him away or kill him.

As if Hongjoong read his mind, he beckoned to the blade.

"Tell them you found nothing to kill and pretend the physician healed them. Restore their trust in the crown."

"Do you really wish to be disrespected again? Your grace ignored?"

The mysterious grin on Hongjoong's lips brought some warmth back to Seonghwa's chest. His heart skipped in his chest. Slowly, he recovered from his sorrow. Hongjoong hadn't betrayed him. Never lied, even when he had been secretive. Now, his wistful expression was no longer a stranger to Seonghwa.

"You are the only one I wish to impress. If you can forgive me for what I have done, I don't need to worry about the opinions of others."

A smile bloomed across Seonghwa's face. He shyly beckoned Hongjoong to come closer, wanting his support against these layers upon layers of deceit and suffering.

Hongjoong halted before him in his robes that hid his peculiar body from view. With his face born 200 years ago and his mind that became wiser than humans could ever hope to be.

Seonghwa caressed his jaw and cheeks. Relished the coldness of his skin, since it was no longer unnatural to him.

"Can I take off your blindfold?" Seonghwa muttered, feeling Hongjoong tense under his fingertips.

"You might not like what you will see."

"I don't care anymore," Seonghwa whispered. "I know who you are. What you are. Let me see you whole."

Hesitant, Hongjoong nodded. He was stiff, worried Seonghwa might change his opinion if he were repulsed by the truth.

But what more was there to know? Hongjoong already unveiled his being. Seonghwa was unafraid.

The black fabric came apart to fall into Seonghwa's fingers. The sockets of Hongjoong's eyes were empty. Smooth, pale skin spanned over his skull, but eyes couldn't be maintained well beyond death. Or perhaps, he could create them with some magical dexterity, as he created those lively lower parts of his body, but never regarded it as necessary.

"I can make eyes if you want me to have some," Hongjoong muttered, afraid of this difference between them.

But Seonghwa grew up loving his mother, never afraid of a corpse. He skimmed his fingertips over the thin skin spanning Hongjoong's skull, finding the hollow dips almost beautiful.

Yes, they were made for one another. So close to death, coquetting with it all their lives.

"I think you look lovely," Seonghwa whispered as he hugged Hongjoong. Let go of all his fears to convey his gratitude.

"I will be with you. Let me resolve matters around the village, then I will live here. As your reward or your lover, whichever you might need me as."

Hongjoong buried his head in Seonghwa's shoulder and hugged him back.

"What do I need a reward for if I can have a lover instead?" He grumbled, and Seonghwa had to snicker.

He was glad he heard Hongjoong out. And happy to stay. Perhaps, as time passed, Seonghwa could forgive himself for what happened in the village. He would do his best to heal everyone with Hongjoong's help.