Earth Blink Blink
“Huh?”
I opened my eyes, and there was my room. Not the cramped studio apartment I was used to, but Park Chanyoung's ridiculously spacious bedroom for a guy living alone. My mind wasn't cluttered at all. If anything, it was too clear. And that made it all the more suspicious.
I'd definitely ascended to the heavenly realm. Met Anzelli. Followed her into the conference hall. And then... I came to in my room. Like some kind of instant teleportation.
“Looks like it worked? The memory seal.”
A pleasant, melodic voice drifted from beside me. I turned my head and saw a small, stunning face. A beauty straight out of a painting, a photograph, a statue come to life. It was Anzelli.
Even though her voice had come from right next to me, I wasn't startled. It was as if, on some unconscious level, I'd known she was there.
“Anzelli? What are you doing here?”
“Mmm! No demons around... So... 'Actually, the heavenly realm can interfere with the system.'”
“What? What kind of nonsense is that?”
Anzelli's words made no sense. It was like saying, 'A humidifier that runs on sky barley as aviation fuel' or 'Hand sanitizer that charges in a fish tank'—utterly random and out of left field. The kind of thing you'd blurt out blackout drunk, with zero context.
Was this another one of her fourth-dimensional moments?
“Great! The perception seal seems to be working perfectly too!”
“...”
At this point, I had no choice but to catch on. What I'd gone through wasn't just a simple teleport. Anzelli kept spouting things I couldn't comprehend a few more times, then looked utterly satisfied at my blank expression.
“You done?”
“Yep! That's my job finished! Things changed so suddenly it must've thrown you off, right??”
“Yeah... you could say that.”
“Now I can answer your questions! Anything you're curious about, fire away!”
“...”
I'd been disoriented up until now, but thanks to my trait, I quickly got my emotions in check. Looking at myself from a third-person view, it was such an obvious cliché. My memory had probably been wiped. Everything from the conference hall to arriving back on Earth.
Anzelli's mention of a 'memory seal' pretty much confirmed it.
Huh. Come to think of it, I can't even remember why I was summoned to heaven in the first place?
As I retraced my steps, gaps started popping up everywhere. I vaguely recalled Baby Angel recoiling in horror at something... but no details.
That wasn't the point, though. There was one crucial fact I had to verify.
“First question. I need you to answer this one honestly—no holding back. Can you do that?”
“Got it! I promise to tell only the truth!”
“Good. Did I... erase my own memories of my own free will? Or at least, did I consent to having them erased?”
“...Whoa...wow... You're piecing it together crazy fast? You realized your memories got sealed? I figured you'd ask what happened first...”
“Anyway. The answer?”
I pressed Anzelli. This question mattered a ton to me, which was why I'd insisted on the truth.
“Yes! It was purely Chanyoung's own will! Not only the memory seal, but you even volunteered for the perception seal—something we didn't even suggest!”
“I don't know what a perception seal is, but basically, I chose to wipe my own memories?”
“Exactly!”
“For real? No lies there?”
“Totally real! Ugh... I can't show proof, but it was absolutely your choice!”
Honestly, even if she showed evidence, I'd doubt it. Could a heaven that rewinds time not fake a single piece? Even if they played a video of me agreeing to erase my memories, I wouldn't fully buy it. Who knows if they tinkered with my brain and puppeted me? Hypnotizing one human seems way easier than time travel.
But I wasn't going down that rabbit hole. If I did, I'd end up questioning if this world was real or if my entire life was fabricated—an endless loop I had zero interest in.
What mattered was the present me, right here. So I decided to trust Anzelli.
“I'll believe you.”
“Yay! Thanks!”
Hearing her firm confirmation eased the anxiety gnawing at me. As long as it wasn't forced, it was fine. Even if my memories were gone, the judgment call back then was still mine.
I'd never admit it to anyone—it'd be too embarrassing—but surprisingly, I trusted myself.
Past me made the best call possible.
I'd never think past me screwed me over. No matter the situation, I always clawed for the win—that was the me I knew.
“Alright. With the big mystery solved, next question's casual.”
“Ask away!”
“First off... is it okay for you to be on Earth? What about Baby Angel?”
Up till now, Baby Angel had been my main link to heaven, not Anzelli. Given Anzelli's eagerness to hang out, if she hadn't come down before, there had to be a reason she couldn't.
But now she was here? Normally, Baby Angel should've handled this explanation.
“My junior's handing off my duties to another angel in heaven right now. Hehehe... And why I'm here? Well, it ties into the reward Chanyoung got from heaven!”
“My reward?”
“Yep! You acknowledged you needed your memories sealed and, instead of just agreeing quietly, you demanded heaven grant three requests!”
“Whoa! Three of them?”
“Three little wishes as compensation for memory erasure was a bit much, but you convinced the archangel with solid reasons, so they approved!”
Oh ho. What an unexpected windfall. Sender: past me. Recipient: present me. Past me's foresight felt like unwrapping a surprise gift—I'd gratefully accept.
“And the first one is me! The elite angel everyone's talking about, descending to Earth to protect Chanyoung!”
“Protect me? From what?”
“Hmm... You won't remember now, but the moment you went up to heaven, you realized you'd get labeled 'human summoned by heaven' and attract demons' attention. So you demanded proper countermeasures.”
“Demons... Yeah, makes sense if angels exist, demons probably do too. Solid reasoning.”
“That's not all. Baby Angel, handling you solo till now, had no authority to decide on compensation for heaven's mistakes, right?”
“True. Can't fix the root cause, so little errors keep popping up. Negotiating through Baby Angel every time would be awkward for everyone...”
“Exactly. So I, with some real authority, joined as co-handler. You specifically requested me since we're close. Plus, two handlers means we catch mistakes before they happen!”
“Sounds exactly like something I'd say.”
“Yep! Even the big shots shut up and got convinced. Thanks to you, I'm free from heaven duties for a while! ...Though honestly, this mess started because of my screw-up, so instead of apologizing and scurrying back, lounging here guilt-free feels off...”
“Don't sweat it. I'm actually super prickly. If it wasn't you—someone I click with—they'd have suffered. Other angels should thank you.”
Damn right. A male handler? No way. I'd FM the hell out of them—every legal asshole move in the book.
“Hmm... The incident where you made them rewind time three times for you is infamous... Everyone was wary. They actually seemed encouraging toward me.”
“See? Don't take it to heart. It was just a mistake, right? In my memory or not, it's handled now.”
“Yeah!... Thanks... I feel a bit better. Heehee.”
Even her downcast look was cute. Like a puppy with droopy ears. Staring forever wouldn't get old, but snap out of it.
“Ahem!”
Back to business. My requests to heaven seemed perfectly reasonable on the surface. Trusting myself was smart, after all. Past me's intentions were crystal clear.
Extra staff for quick fixes? Decision-maker present for smooth talks? Demon defense? All excuses. Truth was, it was to cozy up to Anzelli. I could swear on it.
“Wait... Does that mean Anzelli's living on Earth starting today??”
“Yep! Gotta protect you from demons 24/7! S-so... with that in mind, we're living together here from today... I got your permission from above beforehand, but... j-just in case your wiped memories changed your mind...?”
Oh man... I shivered at my own scheme. I'd orchestrated all this? How many moves ahead was that?!
Living under one roof with an angel more beautiful than any woman I'd ever seen... I was over the moon, tears welling up.
That explained Baby Angel handing off duties. With both of us on field assignment, someone had to cover.
“Anyone else, maybe not—but you? Of course you're welcome!”
“Really? Yay! Heehee! Looking forward to it!”
“Yeah! House is way too big for one person—tons of empty rooms. Pick your favorite! Hell, I could even give up my room if—”
“N-no way I'd impose like that! The smallest one's plenty!”
“Kidding. The room next to mine is the second biggest— that'll do.”
I'd assigned her as close as possible for maximum face time. Anzelli nodded innocently.
So pure, zero suspicion. Doesn't even dream I might have ulterior motives?
Like a flawless white snowfield. But turning an innocent girl into a woman—that's a man's duty, right?
One of my refined hobbies: leaving the first and last footprint on an untouched canvas.
Trash? Guilty. Future days had me buzzing with excitement.
“Honestly, assigning me as your handler isn't much of a reward, right? Demon protection's obligatory... The real rewards start from the second one!”
Nope. Landing Anzelli was the biggest win. Nothing would top that.
Still, if there was one thing I was hyped for...
“Don't tell me—a new trait?”
“Sorry, no. My junior said giving you the first one was an ultra-rare exception.”
“Figured.”
Traits were a pain to get. I knew their value best—no sane heaven would hand them out easy.
Suddenly, Anzelli eyed me warily. Why that look? Did she sniff out my dark intentions?
Nah, her vibe said otherwise.
“Um... Your second reward is a special 'skill'... Does that make sense to you just now?”
“Huh? Of course not? Why wouldn't getting a skill make sense?”
“...Phew. Good, the perception seal didn't catch that one.”
Hmm? Her words tugged at something... but nah, nothing suspicious.
“Ah! No side effects, but just in case, don't overthink it, Chanyoung.”
“Gotcha.”
Probably tied to whatever happened in heaven. No point poking old wounds.
“Anyway, what skill did I get?”
Instead of answering, Anzelli flashed a confident smile. Moments later, a system window popped up right in front of me.