*Trigger warning: Contains depictions of suicide, so please be aware.
It was his 19th birthday, the first time he could see his guardian deity's face. Yoo-hyun was lying in bed, motionless, staring at the ceiling. It was too dark for it to be his birthday, and the house was devoid of any human warmth. Yoo-hyun lost his entire family in an accident three years ago. It was too simple an accident for two people to die in one accident. It was an accident that all three could have survived. But, cruelly, after the accident, Yoo-hyun was the only one standing in the world. Yoo-hyun does not believe in guardian deities. Of course, he does not deny their existence entirely. He just does not believe in the saying that guardian deities protect humans.
/
At that moment, Minhyuk, Yoohyeon's guardian deity, sat quietly in the shrine with a fluttering face. Until Yoohyeon arrived. Until then, he had lived only seeing Yoohyeon's face and hearing his voice, but his bright expression came from the realization that today, starting from today, Yoohyeon could see him too. But even after an hour, two hours, and finally, until the sun set, not a single footstep was heard in the shrine. Minhyuk, who had always been by Yoohyeon's side, always keeping a close eye on him, knew that Yoohyeon disliked the guardian deity. And the reason. But he had expected that Yoohyeon would come out to see him, at least out of curiosity, because of the guardian deity. In the end, Yoohyeon's birthday passed in vain, and Minhyuk left the shrine alone and headed to Yoohyeon's house.
/
"hi."
A low voice echoed through the empty room. It was Minhyuk's first greeting to Yoohyeon. But what he received in return was a cold expression and voice.
“Who are you to come into someone else’s house without permission?”
Minhyuk, knowing Yoohyeon wouldn't welcome his question, stalled for time, playing with his own hands. He'd known Yoohyeon for so long and loved her so much, it was a slight rebellion, a refusal to be hated. "What did I do so wrong?" But as time passed, with Minhyuk remaining silent, Yoohyeon's expression grew increasingly distorted.
“Ha... Get out quickly before I call the police.”
Yoohyun waved his hand, looking as if he was about to burst into tears, and then returned to bed. Minhyuk was terrified. What if he'd look like this when he revealed his identity? But he couldn't not introduce himself. Otherwise, he'd be kicked out of this house. Minhyuk took a few more deep breaths before he could finally speak to Yoohyun.
"Hello. I'm Minhyuk, Lee Minhyuk. I'm your guardian angel."
As soon as he heard the word guardian deity, Yoohyeon jumped out of bed and came up to Minhyuk. "What did you just say...? What did you say?" Yoohyeon's voice trembled violently as he asked. And then, a clear liquid dripped from his pretty eyes. Minhyuk felt a pang in his chest every time Yoohyeon cried. He didn't know the exact reason, but he could only guess that it was because he felt sorry and pitiful for not being able to protect her. So he slowly approached the child and hugged her deeply. But that was only for a moment, as Yoohyeon calmed down and immediately pushed Minhyuk's shoulder away from his embrace. Then he lay back down on his bed, his back turned. Sadly, all Minhyuk could do was sit under the bed and watch over Yoohyeon until the house became brighter with no lights. He watched Yoohyeon so closely, ensuring her safety. "Yoohyun didn't welcome me. I should stay by her side quietly so she wouldn't be uncomfortable." Looking back now, it was a foolish promise.
"did you sleep well?"
While Minhyuk was preparing a delicious meal, Yoohyeon came out of the room. Perhaps he was hungry even in his sleep, smelling food at home after a long time. Minhyuk smiled brightly and told Yoohyeon to eat, but Yoohyeon ignored him and went into the bathroom, preparing to leave. After that, Yoohyeon treated Minhyuk like he didn't exist. He ate alone, went outside alone, just like before Minhyuk showed up. Minhyuk couldn't leave Yoohyeon even though he was showing signs of discomfort. He wanted to disappear far away, out of sight, but he couldn't let anything happen to Yoohyeon while he was gone.
There's a reason Minhyuk overprotects Yoohyeon. Namely, the day Yoohyeon's parents both died. Originally, Yoohyeon was supposed to die in that accident. More precisely, only Yoohyeon. However, the parents, who could see their guardian spirits, begged Minhyuk earnestly. Please, even if it meant dying, spare Yoohyeon. Protect Yoohyeon alone. Yoohyeon's parents each had their own guardian spirits, so it took a long time to even ask for permission. Yoohyeon was the child who survived. How could he so easily throw away the precious life he had gained by sacrificing two lives? But he didn't bother telling Yoohyeon this. Even now, he was dying, so how much worse would it have been if his parents died because of him? So, this was a secret known only to Yoohyeon's parents, their guardian spirits, and Minhyuk.
But Yoohyun, who couldn't possibly know Minhyuk's feelings, prepared to leave this world again today. He didn't bother writing a will. After all, there was no one to read it, no one to mourn. And as always, Minhyuk watched Yoohyun from afar. To stop him immediately if he felt even the slightest hint of suffocation. To treat him immediately if he felt even the slightest pain. But today was different. The sleeping pills he always prepared were gone, and there was no box cutter in sight. There was only water lying next to Yoohyun, sitting there. Minhyuk was tense, wondering what kind of method he had come up with, but it was all in an instant. The moment Yoohyun drank the water and collapsed... Minhyuk immediately ran to Yoohyun. Judging by the foam at the mouth, he must have drunk poison. Until now, Minhyuk had been there to prevent anyone from dying, so it was easy for him to intervene. But now that there was a clause stating that a guardian spirit cannot intervene without the consent of the person involved, things became quite tricky.
If Minhyuk were to save Yoohyeon, Minhyuk would surely die in Yoohyeon's place. While guardian spirits are absolute, if they fail to uphold the few rules they must adhere to, they too will not escape death. Where in the world is there eternity? Even among gods, eternity doesn't exist. And Minhyuk knows this well. He witnessed Yoohyeon's parents' guardian spirits come to this. He had obtained their consent to save Yoohyeon, but one thing: not obtaining Yoohyeon's consent was a flaw, and so the parents' guardian spirits left the earth with them. And now it was Minhyuk's turn. Having drained all the poison from Yoohyeon's body, Minhyuk grimaced at the pain that coursed through his body. But if he lost consciousness now, he wouldn't be able to see Yoohyeon wake up, so he gritted his teeth and endured. After a few minutes, Yoohyeon slowly opened his eyes and looked at Minhyuk with a surprised expression. It must have been because Minhyuk, his face pale and sweating, was looking at him. Minhyuk, though not feeling well himself, took care of Yoohyeon first, and when he confirmed that Yoohyeon was fine, he struggled to open his mouth.
"I'll come back as your guardian again. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Whoever it is."