GRR 66

“About what?”

Jion expected him to get angry and ask if he even realized he was sorry, but instead, Kwon Chasa asked a question. Surprised, Jion glanced up at Kwon Chasa before quickly lowering his eyes again. His expression was blank, no different from usual, but for some reason, it was difficult to meet his gaze.

After another long silence, Jion finally managed to speak.

“…Because I didn’t listen to you, Chasa-nim, and that’s why things turned out like this.”

He finally understood now why Kwon Chasa had emphasized several times that getting involved with ghosts was a bad idea.

Just as he had said, Jion had simply been lucky until now. Because he had never encountered a malicious ghost like Baek Kitae, he had grown complacent.

Kwon Chasa stared at Jion, whose head was bowed dejectedly. He didn’t like seeing him look so dispirited again. The unfamiliar feeling made him frown, and he roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“It’s not your fault.”

Jion finally raised his head. It unauthorized copywas unexpected, he had even decided that he would accept it even if Kwon Chasa shouted at him in anger this time.

He swallowed hard and his heart pounded against his ribs.

“Didn’t you say he approached you first? He must have recognized that your spiritual eyes were open and sought you out.”

“…….”

“He’s the kind who would have caused trouble whether you gave him attention or not. If we’re placing blame, it lies with the grim reaper who failed to handle Baek Kitae properly before he could find you. Don’t you agree?”

Even Yu Chasa’s eyes widened upon hearing Kwon Chasa’s additional remark. Kwon Chasa himself remained indifferent. He turned his gaze toward Yu Chasa and continued.

“Yu Chasa, it would be best to deal with Baek Kitae first.”

“Oh… yes! I think so too. He’ll probably approach Student Jion again, right?”

“Most likely. Now that he knows he can possess his body.”

He knows he can possess my body….

Jion shivered as a chill ran down his spine. As the memory of what Baek Kitae had said resurfaced, the tension he felt when facing him at the convenience store froze his entire body all over again.

‘Get revenge on taxi driver for me. Kill him in the most brutal way. How about it? Sounds fun, right?’

Jion felt like he finally understood what Baek Kitae truly wanted. Since he couldn’t kill a human directly, he planned to use Jion’s body to take revenge on the taxi driver who had killed him.

‘I should’ve killed them all. I should’ve watched with my own eyes as they breathed their last.’

‘The taxi driver who made me like this… I should kill him too….’

The unfinished work, the four addresses, and those words about how he should have killed them all. Jion gathered the scattered fragments of suspicion and calmly sorted out his thoughts.

Baek Kitae had deceived him with the lie that he would leave for the underworld if his wish was granted, made him leave white chrysanthemums, funeral flowers, in front of the houses of those he failed to kill, and even tried to take the taxi driver’s life by possessing him. Perhaps he was…

“The ghosts I met.… I feel like Baek Kitae killed them all.”

“What?”

The serial killer who had yet to be caught might be Baek Kitae. There was no physical evidence, but Jion’s intuition was stronger than ever.

Kwon Chasa frowned, while Yu Chasa couldn’t hide his shock. After a moment of serious contemplation, Yu Chasa clapped his hands together.

“Student Jion, you said it before that it felt like there was a connection because all the deceased you met had been murdered. Then… are you saying the man Nam Seunghee mentioned was Baek Kitae? The same killer who tried to murder Lee Yeju?”

“Yes… I looked up several articles separately, and the patterns were all similar. They were killed by an unknown man, and the culprit hasn’t been caught yet. But Baek Kitae said something today… that he couldn’t finish his work because he died so suddenly… and that he should have killed them all….”

It made sense that the culprit couldn’t be caught; he was no longer in this world. He had died before he could pay for his crimes. Instead, Baek Kitae would face his punishment in the afterlife. He would likely never be reincarnated and might wander through hell for eternity.

Whatever the outcome, it wasn’t a particularly satisfying conclusion. The crimes Baek Kitae committed were unforgivable, even if he rotted in hell forever.

When Jion stopped talking, Kwon Chasa, who had remained silent, sighed.

“We can’t solve things that happen in the living world. You know that as well.”

“I know….”

Even Jion knew there wasn’t much he could do. Baek Kitae was already dead. When Jion answered dejectedly, Kwon Chasa thought about something before standing up and approaching him. Jion inadvertently held his breath as the distance between diminished.

Kwon Chasa grabbed Jion’s wrist. His pulse throbbed against the hand holding his wrist. Though Jion was confused by his actions, he couldn’t even ask a simple question.

Suddenly, Kwon Chasa leaned his head down slightly and pressed his lips against the inside of Jion’s wrist. He pulled away after exactly five seconds.

What is happening…?

Jion lifted his head and bit his lip as he met Kwon Chasa’s gaze. He couldn’t speak, nor could he breathe properly. His heart raced far too fast, and the corners of his eyes felt as hot.

“Ghosts won’t be able to get near you for the time being.”

“…….”

“Don’t go wandering around carelessly, though. This is just a temporary measure, so the effect won’t last long.”

Nothing Kwon Chasa said registered in Jion’s ears. He just stared at his left wrist. Only after Read ona long moment did Jion lift his head to look at Kwon Chasa.

“Wh-what… did you just do…?”

How could he do something so flustering? Why did he suddenly kiss my wrist? It wasn’t the right timing or atmosphere for that!

Unaware that his face had turned red, Jion stared at Kwon Chasa. The latter looked at him and chuckled.

“I put a scent that ghosts hate on you.”

“Why a kiss when you’re just getting a scent on me….”

“That way, the scent will permeate deep into your body.”

Kwon Chasa calmly shrugged. His attitude rendered Jion speechless. It felt like he couldn’t understand why Jion was making a fuss over his lips touching his wrist.

He was the only one expecting something again. He was the only one who took it the wrong way again. Jion sighed, he couldn’t help but feel like a fool.

“You should go home now.”

Kwon Chasa looked at him and held out his hand. Jion placed his hand on top of the man’s palm. Despite its rugged appearance, the hand was warm and soft. Feeling as though he were under a spell, Jion stood up and followed Kwon Chasa.

Not long after the door closed, Yu Chasa, who had been quietly observing the situation, stroked his chin. Interest was reflected in Yu Chasa’s dark eyes.

“Oooh…….”

It was because he had sensed the subtle current flowing between the two.

***

The next morning, Jion left the house to open Dakyung on behalf of his grandfather, who had errands to run. His spirited pace didn’t last long, however. It was because of the face he saw as soon as he stepped outside.

“…Chasa-nim?”

Jion blinked, he wondered if he was finally starting to see hallucinations.

Am I not fully awake yet…?

He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times, but Kwon Chasa was still standing right there in front of him. The man walked over. Jion was flustered because he hadn’t expected to see him so soon, but he was also happy to see him.

Ahem. After calming his racing heart, Jion spoke.

“Why are you here…?”

The man hadn’t given any such indication when he dropped him off the previous night. When Jion tilted his head in confusion, Kwon Chasa replied immediately.

“To see if Baek Kitae is lingering around you. Did something happen during the night? No sleep paralysis or nightmares? There weren’t any ghosts wandering nearby, though.”

“Yes, I slept just fine….”

It was closer to passing out than sleeping. He thought he wouldn’t be able to sleep out of fear after experiencing such a harrowing ordeal for the first time in his life, but he fell asleep the moment he lay down after washing up. And he had woken up feeling refreshed, so much so that even his grandfather commented on how well he must have slept.

Jion suddenly felt something was strange as he looked at Kwon Chasa.

Asking if nothing happened during ​stolen content​the night. Saying there weren’t any ghosts wandering nearby.

It sounded as if he had been watching over the place the entire time.

“…Did you not go home?”

He asked just in case, and received a small nod in response. Jion swallowed hard and asked once more.

“Was it… because of me?”

“Then who else would I have been here for?”