Heeseung looked at the address on the card again, confirming this was the place. Then he put the card in his inner coat pocket, not wanting anyone to see it. Those cards... they would be hard to explain. 

Kim Hana. 

The card said she'd been working at this diner for only a couple months. She'd been doing it as a part-time job, to help pay her way through college. She was a diligent worker. A kind and determined person. 

He wished he could tell her to take it easy this week. To do everything she'd ever wanted to do. 

It could change the course of her future. It could push back her death, and maybe she'd live to her old age. And even if she still died... at least she would have gotten to achieve some of her dreams. 

But he couldn't tell her any of that. He couldn't interact with her. 

His job was to scout her out, her and the other three people he'd have to collect this month. 

Heeseung stared in through the window of the diner, looking at the waitresses until he spotted her. 

She was very pretty. For some reason, seeing her made him even more sad. 

Collecting the dead, it was always a sad job. There was nothing remotely happy about it. But the younger the people were, the sadder he got. 

She was so bright, so happy. So full of life. 

And he was suddenly angry. She was about to be robbed of that life. 

He took a deep breath, steadying himself before walking inside. Order lunch, and watch her. That was all he was going to do, and then he'd be off to the next person. 

She happened to be passing by near the door when he opened it, and she offered him a bright smile. "Good afternoon," she greeted, balancing a tray with cold drinks on her hand. "Come this way to be seated, pl-" 

Her words were cut short when a customer suddenly pushed out his chair, getting up. Hana, being distracted, didn't notice, and she tripped and fell, crashing onto the floor. 

The glass cups shattered. 

"I'm so sorry!" the boy exclaimed, crouching down beside her. "Are you hurt?" 

Heeseung crouched by her side too, starting to pick up the shards of glass, and placing them onto the tray. 

"I'm alright," Hana said, laughing slightly and allowing the boy to help her off the floor. "Thank you," she said, looking at the both of them. 

She turned to Heeseung, gently taking the tray out of his hands. "This way, please," she said, continuing to lead him through the diner and to an empty table. "I'll be back in a minute to take your order," she told him after he was seated. 

She started to walk away, but he reached out, grabbing her arm. 

"You'll have to pay for the cups you broke, won't you?" 

She was a poor college student. Her family was struggling. He knew that she needed all the money she could get. 

She only had a week to live, if her life played out as excepted. If nothing unexpected happened, she had mere days. 

He wanted her to make the best of them. He didn't want her to worry about a stupid broken cup. 

"I'll pay for it," he whispered, taking out his wallet and handing her some money. 

Her eyes widened as she looked at the money in her hands. It was much more than was needed, but he had an unlimited supply. 

He was a grim reaper, after all. 

"I can't take this," she said, pushing it back to him. 

"Please," he said softly, staring into her eyes and wishing he could tell her a thousand things. "Please take it."