I don't remember anything about my childhood—that is, if it can be called that. From the moment I was born, from the moment I could walk, I had been taught the same thing, over and over again.
I am a Reaper, taker of souls. My sole purpose in life is to accompany souls to the afterlife. It is more of bringing them here against their own will, however. After all, no human wishes to die. It's not dying per se, just a painful way of reaching a higher level.
We Reapers are referred to as "Death" by many humans. I understand why they would think such a thing, but they are wrong. Very wrong. Death is a force beyond anyone's control. It is bound by no rules. Reapers, on the other hand, are what you would call "Death's employees". Had death not been a thing, we might not have existed. After all, we only exist to extract souls from the bodies of the dead.
I have lived for millennia. But can my life really be called living? I have been following the same schedule ever since I can remember. A Reaper's memory is ten times that of a human's, but when you live as long as we do, you are bound to forget the time you have lived. Our lives throughout the years are the same, so remembering such a tedious schedule is something a lunatic would do.
We do not complain. We do not ask questions. That is the only rule we stick by. Any Reaper who doesn't follow the rules is banished to the abyss, where their consciousness and body decays bit by bit. We are not allowed to get attached to anyone, as it interferes with our work. Reapers don't get into relationships, we do not need to reproduce; Death is our father. Every time a human dies, a Reaper is born. We do not eat, we do not go to relieve ourselves, we do not feel the way humans do. Perhaps that is why I am always so troubled.
I am good at my job; I always bring the right soul at the right time. The Guardian is in charge of where they go. If a person is good, they go to heaven. But if they are bad, they go to hell. Reapers should not care about the punishment of the evil or the reward of the good, but I always find myself anxious.
In human myths, Reapers are always described as beings dressed in black who carry scythes to reap out souls. They are right, but only because their beliefs heavily impact how things work in our realm. Since Reapers are born every time a human dies, it is only fitting for human imagination to be in charge of our appearances. Humans are terrified of us, thinking of us as the dominant beings that do whatever they want. But the truth is, we have no freedom.
Now, many humans don't believe in us because we don't show ourselves. It's not like there is a rule to stay hidden; we simply choose to conceal ourselves, to not scare the humans that have yet to live.
I am different from the other Reapers, and not in a good way. Whereas the others do their jobs diligently, without having any qualms about their assigned tasks, all I do is worry. Yes, I am one of the best Reapers out there, but that is all the more troublesome. All of the pressure I have to deal with gets on my nerves. That is the problem. I should not feel this way. Reapers do not judge each other's work. We only have to focus on our own. So why is it that I can't find a moment of rest with my trouble-addled mind?
I am one of the oldest Reapers out there, or so I have been told. I have seen each birth, each banishment, and each success of the others. And I have never seen an anomaly: a person who refuses death. Or, that was until I was assigned to Cha Youngsoo.
A famous pop star, Cha Youngsoo, has made quite a name for himself in the entertainment industry. He is clearing the top ranks with a surprising score, and that means his enemies also increase the more his popularity does. Many people wanted him dead, even though they do not even know him. I do not understand what jealousy is, why humans envy others just because they are not as successful. Not everyone is talented, after all. But humans cannot seem to keep hold of that fact.
After living his best life, Cha Youngsoo was supposed to be dead at the age of twenty-eight, after being ambushed at a hotel and murdered in his room. The attack was supposed to be lethal, enough to end his life in one blow. But one of the attackers messed up. Their assassination attempt was a failure. They were careless, and that resulted in the bellhop alerting the police. Some attackers were arrested while some escaped, and eventually Cha Younsoo was rescued before his condition became critical.
I thought he was dying, and that he wouldn't survive such an attack. All I had to do was stick with him until he died, collect his soul, and take it to the afterlife. That was my only task, so I did as I was told.
I followed him into the ambulance, making sure my Visibility—an ability of mine—was turned off so no humans could see me, besides the one dying. It doesn't matter if he opens his eyes; humans think the ones dying always have visions before slipping away. So even if Cha Youngsoo made a commotion, nobody would believe him.
He was taken to a private hospital that only the rich could afford. He was then quickly taken into the ICU for surgery. He was attacked in many places: his neck, stomach, and chest. The attackers seemed to have only aimed for places that might ensure a quick death if dealt with properly. Of course, the assassins couldn't do as such.
I decided to stick outside the ICU doors. I have followed many targets there before, and the atmosphere tends to get unbearable. Reapers are unfazed by the sight of blood or innards, so that's not what bothers me. What does, is the desperate expression on the doctor's faces, trying to save a dying patient.
That's something that bothers no Reaper, except me.
I waited hours outside the ICU, waiting for the doctor to come out and give the terrible news to Cha Youngsoo's family and manager. When he finally did come out, I did not bother to look at his face and entered the room quietly. I'm sure he would be giving the "we have done what we could" speech to them.
The door shut behind me with a soft click, and I stepped forward on quiet feet. As I got closer to Cha Youngsoo, I realized that something was wrong. Yes, something was very wrong indeed.
The singer was still breathing.
I looked at the heart monitor to see the lines move with every heartbeat. The machine was beeping, indicating that the man lying here was alive.
He shouldn't be alive. He should be dead.
That was the day I discovered the anomaly. Cha Youngsoo had evaded death, even though his name was clearly written on the Book of the Dead. That is something no human being should be able to do.