Death was indeed something ironic, especially for those like them; immortals, survivors of time and war, doomed to live a hopeless life as they glued back the broken pieces of what they once were and move on as time failed and they remained the same for as long as the mundane remembered their stories by the pages of a book or by their hearts.
And for those used to the idea of living forever, death was also quite terrifying when finally gave a thought. It was the first time in such a long while that the reality hit the red-haired to the point of leaving her dizzy, the lost in the war wasn’t only soldiers and Katherine should know that better than anyone else once she was still haunted by the memories of her stand on the army she once fought for and that only a few days ago had taken the life of Lord Hansel, the witch hunter, her friend.
Katherine took a deep breath as she hovered her injured fingers on top of the cauldron, squeezing them together so that the thick scarlet drops of blood could meet the rest of the ingredients of the potion, it didn’t matter that Gabriel would yell at her for using witchcraft to rise him back from the dead if the potion ever worked out, it didn’t matter that her craft didn’t worked properly for personal gain, she needed to try everything in her might to bring him back, she couldn’t let him down, not now and not ever.
She tried to ignore the swell of pity all the other fables and even her own reflection in the mirror gave her. The red-haired could not forget their moments, his words, his pain, him. Gabriel had been one of the biggest ironies of her life, a dear friend who held so much fear and hate to what she was and still was able to humanize her, look pass the craft and see her for what she was.
Katherine wasn’t a cold-hearted monster. She was a child, like him, forced to bear the weight of the world on their shoulders, a child without a childhood. A human being that was suffering greatly the loss of someone important to her.
The petite woman didn’t quite realized when her delicate fingers had shifted through the contact list of her phone, but her heart seemed to break a little bit more at the sound of the other’s voice as the call reached the voice mail and after a second or less, she finally glued enough of courage to speak, even if he would never listen to it, he should be reassured.
“I swear I tried everything, Gabe. All the spells I knew, all the potions I could render and it’s not fair I can’t bring you back! It’s just not fair, nothing about this war is fair anymore, everyone is just trying to survive but the loss of one life don’t seem to mean a thing, because it won’t affect the outcome and you deserved so much better! Merlin, when you finally trust me with your life I can’t do something to bring it back to you!” She took a deep breath, it wasn’t a surprise that the tears weren’t there to be avoided, nor was it the feeling of drowning in her own sorrow.
“But I promise you someone will be taking responsibility for what happened to you. I don’t care if I have to hunt down and kill every adversary member hiding in fabletown, your death won’t be in vain and I will avenge you, but just promise me that wherever you’re right now you will finally give yourself a chance to relax and perhaps be happy. I’m missing you, Gabe, and you should know you will not be forgotten, not now, not ever.”
But perhaps there was something more ironical than death: A witch mourning and avenging a witch hunter against the army she once stood for.
send me ◘ for the last voicemail my character left.
It didn’t mattered what anyone else said, for Jihyun death was the ultimate evil simply because it didn’t chose sides or right timing, it was just inevitable, the one thing every living creature was certain that would happen to them one day. But just because it was present in the laws of the universe, it didn’t meant that she had to accept it, every since her mother died in a witchcraft trail back at the homelands, death only made her angry.
Maybe because she didn’t do sad very well, maybe because she promised herself to keep on drowning her own sorrows into the ocean of tears Jihyun would never allow herself to shed or perhaps because death was something she could not control and it made her feel vulnerable, guilty. The hypothesis that if she could have got there one second earlier, the petite woman could have saved a life - changed a destiny – still haunted the deepest and darkest corners of her mind.
It was personal for the doctor, just like it had been when her mother got taken away from her, Woobin was family to the red-haired. Jihyun couldn’t care less if people would tell her he was in a better place right now, the raven haired male wasn’t where he was supposed to be. The detective had a live in front of him, so many things he had wished to achieve, so many plans that would be left unfinished and that was not like Woobin at all. He was stubborn and had a will to push himself forward that though Qri had never voiced, she admired in the younger male.
And he surely deserved all the moments he could had lived, all the laughs and coffee cups he could had enjoyed, all the ‘what if’s that should have happened.
“Tell me, how is it fair?” She asked herself, trembling delicate fingers reaching for the phone on top of her bed in a strong gasp, a childish hope that it could bring her some kind of enlightening about what to do, some kind of hope.
Jihyun’s teeth sank into the delicate flash of her reddish lips until the metallic flavor of blood could be tasted in her mouth as she pondered about what to do next, her mind crucified her unreasonable actions as she shifted through her contact list. The doctor just needed to hear him out one last time.
Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of the younger’s husky voice, even if just through the voice mail, Jihyun didn’t quite knew why part of her still persisted in believe that perhaps he could answer the phone and just throw a witty joke that would receive a scold from her as a response and though the younger would never see, she would be smiling, like always.
The beep brought her back from her reveries and Jihyun let out all the air she didn’t even realized she was holding before moistening her lips to finally speak.
“I just-… I guess I just need to hear your voice one last time, Woobin-ah. Honestly, I wasn’t planning on going to your funeral, because that would make things real, that would mean you’re really gone and I don’t know how to properly deal with it. But God, I need to let you know that you’ll never be forgotten, that a little piece of you will continue to live on the memories of all of us who had the chance to meet someone so incredible like you and on all the cases that you have solved or helped, you provided closure to many people that they won’t ever be able to thank you enough.” She took a deep breath, hazel orbs meeting their reflection on the mirror in a silent pray that wherever he was at, he could still listen to her words.
“I want to tell you that I’m proud of you, Woobin-ah, proud of the man you were and of the dreams you fulfilled. And Noona will—Is missing you so much, late nights sprinkled with coffee won’t be the same without you. I hope that one day we will be able to cross paths again, somehow, because if anyone deserved the chance to come back is you. I have to go now, because I know you’d never forgive me if I showed up late to your funeral, just keep in mind that Noona held you dear close to her heart.”
"I’m not looking—" The male said, pressing his hands more firmly against his eyes. A little peek here and there wouldn’t hurt, would it? He wouldn’t dare to let her know, of course. "But come on, Jihyun-ah! We can’t buy you another bra and we’re already late for the movie." He whined, turning his back to her and finally letting his hands fall on his sides. He quickly slid them into his pockets, as an annoyed sigh left his lips.
"Are you done already? Or should I give you my tie? You can wrap it around them, if that’s the case."
The petite woman pinched the nerves close to the bridge of her nose in dismay as her teeth sank into her reddish lips to prevent any hisses to escape under her breathe, Siwon had to comment on her choice of outfit right before they leave her place when he picked her up for the evening. Don’t you have anything that is not too short, bra-less, strapless or… fearless? Jihyun repeated his words in her mind in the most mocking tone she could given the situation; just like a curse because she indeed changed clothes, her undergarment apparently decided that she could not wear something that was not on the older’s black list and decided to become strapless in the middle of the dinner.
She took a deep breath before poking her head through the restroom’s door to give him one of her disbelief judgmental looks, momentary forgetting the buttons of her blouse were still undone. “And do you really think a tie is going to help much?” Jihyun raised an eyebrow, but quickly followed his glance down her cleavage, only to realize that most part of her bra was still on display. “You’re looking! Zip it and close your eyes, Siwon!” She hissed, a lipstick flying through the environment to land right across his forehead as the door was shut closed with much more strength than necessary . “Go ask the waitress for a scissor or a knife before I strangle you!”
First, you need to get to my level, you know? (`Jihyun raised an eyebrow, shaking her index finger in an almost childish insolence as she tilted her head back to look up to the taller male.) You’ve been gone for God knows how long and that is the first thing you tell me? Seriously? ( `she rolled her eyes feigning disapproval in a teasing manner.)
The youngest red-haired immediately stopped, high heels not even touching the ground as her head turned back to face the covered in white woman. “Yes, doctor?” She asked, raising her eyebrows, hands still holding the tray with used gauze, and some left-overs lints.
It was just once the patient left - jumping off the bed and waving the curtains that divided the different cubicles on the ER - just then the mermaid rested her feet on the ground, heaving out a sigh and stretching her lips in a quite tired smile. “Do you need something, unnie? I think I will go get some coffee.”
The petite doctor parted her lips to speak at the younger’s calling, delicate hands slowly taking off the medical gloves that helped to prevent any kind of infection to reach the patient’s wounds as she tended them. If there was something she had learned with the fable war was to trust her instincts and something felt terrible off for the red-haired that day, Jihyun needed a few seconds to formulate a proper explication to tell the other about the feeling overwhelming her heart to the point of leaving it heavy, but the doctor couldn’t describe her feeling into words.
“No, sweetie.” The red-haired finally gave up, shaking her head and offering the other an apologetic small smile. “I just feel like something is wrong, but perhaps it’s just because of how busy the day was.” Jihyun nodded, as to assure the younger she didn’t need to worry while clothing her hands with new gloves. “Yes, go grab yourself a nice cup of coffee, I will meet you at the cafeteria as soon as I’m done here, hm?” She offered the younger a soft smile before turning herself around to walk towards the last patient in the room in that afternoon. "Then we can go home together."
Yejin had tried to cover it up― but how could the female have noticed? Someone that she didn’t even know and she also thought she’d covered pretty nicely, her breath was caught in her throat and as she looked down at her hand and noticed how the blood had soaked through her sweater, it had left a big dark area on the light blue shirt. Not only that had the blood soaked through the bandage she had used to cover the wound― “Stupid of me thinking that I could fix it myself.”
Narrowing her eyes at the sight of the crimson tinting the light fabric of the female’s sweater, the doctor shook her head slightly in a silent way to comfort the other about not being stupid or reckless. “I’m a doctor, it’s only natural for me to notice, are you feeling alright?” The red-haired asked, stepping closer as her hazel eyes glanced the stranger carefully, silently hoping to not see signs that could indicate the wound might be deeper. “Feeling dizzy or trembling? Do you have any blood related problems? Hemophilia? Hematophobia?”
Gently taking a hold of the other’s wrist, Jihyun tugged the stranger along with her. “I live right up the street, come with me so I can aid you properly.” She offered the other a soft small smile as she led their way to the apartment complex. “Do you want to tell me what happened? Perhaps it would be a lot wise to call an ambulance and get you to the hospital, if anything.”
She was furious. “I hate this!” A glass collided into the wall at the other side of the room, sending shards scattering all over the place. “He’s messing with me, isn’t he?!” Jimin turned sharply towards the older female, her fingers digging into her palms as she balled them into fists. “He knows that I know, so he’s messing with me, with my mind, with my heart!” She let out an aggravated shout and let herself fall to her knees, her hands holding her head. “I hate him…I hate him so much but I still…”
The doctor flinched at the strident sound of glass shattering echoing through the room. Temper had always been the younger’s greatest flaw and Jihyun sometimes wondered if it wouldn’t end up being Jimin’s downfall either. A soft sigh escaped through her reddish lips as the older took a step closer silently, just like she had been ever since she walked inside the other’s apartment, the red-haired gently reached for Jimin’s hand, uncoiling her fingers before the younger’s knuckles could turn white.
“Losing yourself will only make it worst, lovely, you know how he is.” The petite woman muttered in a soft tone, kneeling down next to the other as she slipped her fingers in between the younger’s. “There is a very thin line between love and hate, but someone like him definitely doesn’t deserve neither, lovely, he shouldn’t deserve you caring about him in the very first place.”
She had planned to meet with Jihyun that evening at the bookstore after she got off work. Her work was almost over in approximately thirty minutes. Yeonsoo began to put clothes back to where they belonged and went to the back of the store to bid the manager and her co-workers farewell. She reached in her purse for the keys to the car and made her way to the parking garage to find the few cars that were still parked there. She drove to the bookstore that the two had indicated and turned on the radio to listen to the news on her way there. She reached there before Jihyun did and decided to roam around the bookstore to find a book that would be of amusement to her. Her eye caught up with a book titled Your Guide to Pick Up Lines. A smirk appeared across her face as she began to flip through the pages to find one to tell Jihyun upon her arrival. Ah, this will do. She chuckled to herself, her eyes on look for Jihyun.
With the arrival of her friend, she waved to her to motion her to walk over. She couldn’t help herself but to smile like a dork. “Hey Jihyun, hear this. My doctor says I’m lacking Vitamin U." A laugh passed through her lips, waiting for her friend to laugh but there was dead silence. Jihyun simply said,"That’s the cheesiest pickup line I’ve ever heard." Yeonsoo felt a bit sad because she honestly found it to be humorous, but she must have guessed incorrectly. “What? I thought it was pretty funny. Lighten up, will you?”
To say that the petite woman buried herself in her work was an understatement, Jihyun would dive in long hours of shifts and work herself out to the point of exhaustion now and again, as the nightmare prone nights became sleepless, that was once again, the only routine that could push her through the day. And it wasn’t surprise to anyone that the stubborn doctor didn’t quite accept a second opinion on the resting matter, unless it was extremely necessary or she saw fit. So taking on Yeonsoo’s invitation to a meeting on a book store was mostly because the older missed her favorite accompany to coffee.
Her first reaction to the pickup line was a raise of eyebrow, followed by a head shake and a mumbled. “That was the cheesiest pickup line I’ve ever heard.” But a sight left her lips at the younger’s reaction, perhaps she had been a little too stressed and lighting up would be a good thing. Quickly wrapping one arm around the brunette’s shoulders, Jihyun pulled her closer, hazel eyes glancing the other’s darker ones in a teasing manner. “My name is Jihyun, but you, my darling can call me wine, because just like it, I get better with time.” The doctor leaned forward to press a peck on the younger’s cheek, laughing softly as she shook her head in a silent way of teasing the younger about what was a playful pick up line. Yes, if it was to make the brunette smile, then lighting up was definitely a good thing to do.
