Isuel pov*

It was as if a white flash engulfed you. When you opened your eyes, you were lying on the beach's warm sand. You narrowed your eyes, wondering where Gustav had sent you.

You suddenly felt your weightless body become mass. You stretched your hands out and felt your arms and body. Awesome—you were human once again.

Memories fill your mind before you can affirm your opinion about your surroundings: Yoona's memories, but only a fraction of them. You can't remember anything else; you tried to recall memories, but it's all a blur-only Yoona's were centre stage.

You glance around. You're familiar with this beach, and your gaze is drawn to the shoreline. The sand is a lovely white, and the water is crystal clear.

You stroll to some smooth rocks and drop down, unsure of your next move. Must you wait, aimlessly wander around, or think? Maybe Yoona's memories will give you some hints.

You began to think more deeply. Your heart is immediately filled with depression, nostalgia, and sorrow. Wow, this girl is so sad. When you saw images of you, "Yoona," and her brother, "Yong," playing catch on the beach, you smiled sadly as you remembered your handsome twins' faces. He looked so happy. It was during the school holidays that your parents travelled to Jeju Island.

Then they shifted and morphed into your brother's face. It was your birthday, but strange. Because of the K-pop craze, you dyed your curly hair red. Yong laughed and was so happy when you demonstrated a dance move. He even suggested to your parents that you enrol in a dance school. You loved the idea.

You saw how much you enjoyed dancing and even daydreamed about becoming a backup dancer for a new girl group. But you're not doing very well. You had anxiety and a fear of being in an awkward situation. Your brother was your lifeline. He was an anchor. You felt tears in your eyes.

You're in extreme pain as you recall your birthday. You had a family birthday dinner at one of the exclusive restaurants, and Yong presented you with a lovely silver pendant. You genuinely love it. It was a pendant with a twin angel guardian. He told you a mystical story about the pendant's mysterious past, and you loved it even more. Yours were light silver.

You were so happy that evening; it rained, and you and Yong had so much fun playing in the rain that you didn't care. You were fourteen years old at the time. Both of you were from Gwangju. However, your parents relocated you to Seoul to start over at a new school. Danwon High School. You adored the area. However, your father purchased a plot of land in an exclusive neighbourhood to design and build your mother's dream home. Your father got a better job at an architecture firm, and your mother wanted to take her home business to the mall. You were all in favour of it. Your parents have decided to enrol you in a dance academy run by an entertainment agency. Your dream of becoming a dancer will soon come true. So you train there with them.

For the time being, your family has rented a charming family cottage.

Then, an image of you coughing took the front seat. You were so sick. Your father was chastising you and Yong for being so careless. But you just enjoyed the two days off from school. Yong wanted to stay with you, but he had a class picnic and a" long-awaited school excursion" to Jeju to attend. He was a class monitor, and he never missed school. Also, he wanted to be with you on the ferry boat trip, but all of your friends would be together.

It'll be fun, but your best friends Binna and Chae-won didn't want to leave you and decided to come and nurse you back to health and hang out with you. You love them. That decision they made together, unbeknownst to them, saved their lives. Even though your crush is an older 16-year-old boy, he would go along.

Yong will be your bodyguard and protector. According to Yong, no one could reach you because you were too beautiful for your own good. You were always the one who received the most Valentine's Day gifts and flowers. But you didn't seem to mind. Life was good when you and Yong were together.

Another image flashed through your mind: Yong and four of your group friends died on that fateful day two days later. One's body was never found. That day, the Sewol ferry went down. Yong, his girlfriend Sia, his two best friends, and his teacher perished in the ocean.

You and your mother were devastated by the shock and heartbreak. You broke down in tears. You didn't understand why, Yong; he was your light. It was as if darkness had infiltrated your soul. Some of the survivors were filled with survivor's guilt, and you may have heard that one committed suicide.

The agony was excruciating. You and your two best friends forced yourselves to attend the memorial service. Your mother was a living corpse. She lost her spark, and you withdrew from life as a deep introvert.

Another image comes to mind. Oh my goodness, so much heartbreak. You envision yourself booking a flight to this beach. You'll return to the site on your brother's death anniversary every year and visit this beach to feel closer to him. You could feel the deep depression in those images. Then, a year later, on your and Yong's supposed 17th birthday, You couldn't endure the pain any longer. You missed him so much that one day, you just took a train to a remote river and walked into it, wanting to end the pain. You survived and never regained consciousness from your brain damage.

Another image: your parents crying at your bedside in the hospital, pleading with God to spare you after your doctor's devastating news.

Your eyes closed, but you felt a presence next to you.

You turn your head and glance at the boy, your heart racing. Is it him? He was gorgeous. You gulp as you see his eyes widen at the sight of you, as if he likes what he is seeing. You look down, afraid that he will notice your sudden attraction. Why didn't Gustav warn you that this boy was enthralled? You read something in the rule book, but your mind is too preoccupied with Yoona's life to remember the warnings.

You return your gaze to his quiet demeanour, wondering what is wrong with him, but you sense a deep sense of despair, loneliness, depression, and being deflated. This young man was wounded, but how? Who was it that did it to him? He's so young and so handsome. His gaze was fixed on you as he tried to place you. So, you must complete your mission. You honestly wish to succeed.

You give a small smile and pat a smooth rock.

"Do you want to join me? The ocean's allure will never fade..."You motioned for a spot next to you.

He appears so surprised. He suddenly smiled and approached you slowly, dropping down next to you on the smooth rock.

"Hi--," he croaks as he turns to face you. A charming smile reaches the corners of your mouth as you turn your gaze to him.

"You're not from around here, are you?" you asked, interested.

You arched your brows perfectly as you examined his casual attire. Wow, designer brands... wealthy boy.

"Hmmm, wealthy city boy", you grin.

He smirked and chuckled slightly. "Yeah, you can tell?"

You just snicker and point to his attire. "Er-yeah! Designer sweatshirts, Jordans, the latest Samsung mobile phone, those rings on your forefingers...boy, I can tell."

His eyes may be stunned by your first observations.

"So, beach girl, what brought you to the beach on such a chilly day?" He waves around with his arms. Oh, he called her "Beach Girl"-no need for introductions, then, cool. Perhaps it's best not to know who he is. Do your job and hopefully skedaddle back to the "good place."

However, Yoona's mind took over. What! You were overcome with sadness inside your body.

You smile sadly, saying, "It was like I was living here. I'm one with the ocean. Do you hear the echo of the wind?" You questioned him, and his face was puzzled. Woah! This girl has a deep mind. You enjoy it. So, you felt such a strong connection with this lovely boy that you began to flow with the mission. He should smile more.

"Close your eyes, stranger boy?" you asked him.

You sat back, arms stretched out behind you, profoundly inhaling the freshness of the air around you. Your fingertips briefly touched his, but he didn't notice. Your heart started to thump wildly in your chest. Oh, gosh, what is this feeling? You couldn't understand, but you felt a strange peace in his presence at home.

But you sensed him looking at you, knowing he wouldn't do what you asked.

You opened one eye and saw him smirking, so you motioned for him to close his eyes. "Come on, now. Just close those bunny eyes of yours. And relax and let go. Imagine yourself on a jelly bed, floating, listening to how the wind speaks to you..."Your voice sounds dreamy as you see him relax next to you.

You heard him snort, but do as you instructed. He closed his eyes, and you both savored the cool breeze on your faces. Suddenly, you felt your body transported back to the in-between realm.

What the...!!!

Gustav sat on the sofa, hands folded, eyes narrowed, and you shook your head, puzzled.

"What was that? Gustav, I was in the middle of a mission. You idiot!" Isuels' memories began to flood your mind.

"Hey, hold your horse, Isuel; what did you think you were doing?" He is furious.

You wave your arms in the air. " What are you talking about? I didn't do anything. The young man arrived safely. We talked like normal teenagers. Then, I needed to find a focal point, which Yoona provided. I must say, this girl is philosophical. And you were right-he was mesmerized by my looks. Er, Yoona's, what's the big deal?-you took me in the middle of a mission. He'll suspect something is wrong". You rant on, clearly irritated.

Gustav stops you from talking by waving his hand and throwing something at you, which you catch just in time, and you look at him puzzled as you look down at a thin red book.

"The Rulebook!" he sighs deeply. "Isuel. You broke one small rule that determined your fate! Gosh! You are the seventh hundred souls who disobeyed the most obvious rule." He appears exasperated as he brushes his hair aside in distress. Because of the fumes produced by his rage, his glasses appeared foggy. You wanted to laugh, but you knew something was seriously wrong.

"Gustav...ok, calm down." You tilt your head and wave your hands at him, indicating that he should relax.

"Calm down, Isuel! You failed--" he sighed exasperatedly and exhaled.

You look at him puzzled, saying, "No, I didn't... I haven't even started. You made me fail. I knew you never liked me, and you wanted me to go to the dragons' liar. Yeah, you wanted me to fail. You transporting me back here! "You were on the verge of crying, you don't want to go to the fiery furnace and be tortured by the dragon forever; you want to die peacefully and go to a glorious place that is far superior and exquisite to this realm.

Gustav looked deflated and said, "IIsuel... it's not that. Yes, you were an unnecessary annoyance at first. But I admire your fire and energy. My wish for you was that you would complete the mission and be transported to the "good place," but you had to fail rule 15."

"Gustav, what is rule 15?" you ask, suddenly terrified. You tried to study it, but by the time you got to Rule 10, you were exhausted. You wanted to study more but were unexpectedly transported to the earthly realm.

Gustav does seem to be catching snakes. "Read! I gave you plenty of time to study the rule book. Isuel...there were only 20 crucial rules. Breaking rule 15 renders the first 1-14 rules null and void. Gosh! We're in a tough spot. You forgot to read Rule 15 because you were so taken with Yoon's body and face that you forgot to concentrate".

With trembling hands, you scan the rules in the rule book. Your brow furrowed. "Is it forbidden to touch the Earthbound while on mission? "That stupid rule caused me to fail. I didn't touch him!"

"You did, but rule 6 states that you should not be too close to your mission. You weren't even a meter away. He sat close to you, next to you, attached to you. Rule three says, "Don't become attached to your mission." You, my dear, were attracted to the boy. You saw him with a "bang" love eyes; he started it, but that was the test! You were supposed to be neutral. Oh my goodness, this has completely changed the situation."

Your eyes widen. "Sorry Gustav, I didn't understand Rule No. 3. I thought it meant not to become obsessed with my job. I didn't believe he was the "job." I touch the tips of his fingers. That was the only genuine touch, and he's quite attractive. What did you expect, Gustav? You gave me the spirit body of a teenager; she is a hormonal teen, and I guess her emotions took over. When dealing with teenagers, you should remove rules 3 and 15." You shot back.

"So, what's next? What will become of me now? Do I have another chance?" With a worried tone, you questioned

"Well, seeing as you are still wearing the angel guardian pendant and you touched the boy, unfortunately, being in that state will not automatically transport you to the "glorious place," Gustav reasoned," You'll have to make a difficult decision. Continuing with mission one will lead to mission 2. Avoid doing anything stupid. Your only chance is tomorrow. I could turn back the clock for you. So you'll return. It will be tomorrow for him, but only a few hours for you. In this realm, time has no direct effect."

You relievedly smile, "So I can help him, and maybe this body can find peace."

Gustav nods, "Something like that. So go down and do whatever you can to make him happy."

You raise your brows and give him a strange look. " Happy as in"

Gustav looked horrified at your train of thought. "Oh my gosh! Not that happy, your stupid child-go! Before I change my mind. With those thoughts, it's no surprise you were destined for the dragon's lair."

"What!--" Before you could complete your sentence, you felt the air around you change as a blinding flash passed over you.

•. ✿ .•°

A/n *Isuel could still reason with her own thoughts, but she couldn't recall her memories as Isuel, and Yoonas' memories took center stage.