Chapter 3: The Reaper’s Rules
I didn’t sleep that night.
My mind kept replaying Jihoon’s words.
“The Reaper doesn’t just kill.”
“Sometimes… it falls in love.”
What the hell did that even mean?
Why would Death care about love?
I wanted to believe Jihoon was just messing with me.
But then there was the letter.
The number.
The shadow.
All too real.
Day 97 started like a dream I couldn’t wake up from.
I found another black feather on my windowsill.
It shimmered strangely in the light.
When I touched it, a whisper echoed in my ear.
“Rule One: You may not speak of me to those who have not seen me.”
I stumbled back, heart pounding.
Had I imagined it?
No.
Because the feather vanished before my eyes.
At school, Jihoon was waiting.
Like he knew I’d come.
He didn’t speak as I sat next to him on the rooftop.
It took me a moment to find my voice.
“There are rules, aren’t there?”
He nodded slowly.
“Three.”
“Break one… and the countdown accelerates.”
I swallowed.
“I heard the first one this morning.”
“About not speaking of the Reaper to outsiders.”
He glanced at me.
“You heard it through a feather, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
He looked impressed.
“Then you’re already marked.”
“What’s Rule Two?”
His jaw clenched.
“Rule Two: You must not attempt to escape death by harming another.”
“If you do… the Reaper takes both.”
A chill crawled down my spine.
“So no sacrifices.”
“Not even in desperation.”
He met my eyes.
“Especially not in desperation.”
“And Rule Three?”
Jihoon hesitated.
“Rule Three is the cruelest.”
He reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook. Old. Leather-bound.
He opened it to a marked page.
A drawing of a black feather. Identical to mine.
Underneath it:
“Rule Three: If you fall in love with the Reaper, the countdown will reset… but only once.”
“What does that mean?”
He shut the notebook.
“Exactly what it says.”
“You can buy yourself more time.”
“But it comes at a price.”
“Because once you fall for the Reaper, you can’t escape them.”
“Not even in death.”
I tried to process it.
Love.
Death.
Time.
All tangled in a way that made my chest ache.
I looked at Jihoon.
“Did you fall for the Reaper?”
He didn’t answer.
But the look in his eyes said enough.
He had.
And it had cost him everything.
That night, I received another message.
[You’re asking too many questions.]
[Curiosity is dangerous.]
I typed a reply.
[What do you want from me?]
A few seconds passed.
Then:
[To be seen.]
[To be known.]
[To be loved.]
My hands trembled as I held the phone.
The air grew cold.
And when I turned around—
He was there.
The Reaper.
Watching me.
Smiling.
As the clock above my head ticked down.
“Ninety-six.”