GRR 94

Seon Ayoung couldn’t answer Jion’s question right away and bit her lower lip.

“…They didn’t come up to me to talk. But… it feels like they’re watching me from a distance. I’ve seen them a few times, but they never spoke to me, they just walked away.”

It seemed they had decided to give her time to think, since there wasn’t much else they could do for now. Instead, they appeared to be keeping an eye on her to make sure she didn’t suddenly disappear somewhere or disrupt the order of the living world.

Jion swallowed hard and, with a touch of solemnity, asked a new question.

“You don’t plan on going to the underworld yet?”

Upon hearing the question, Seon Ayoung shifted her gaze toward Jion. But she neither nodded nor shook her head in denial. A moment later, seeing her quietly lower her gaze without answering, she was indeed deliberating. After all, up until now, Seon Ayoung had been adamant about her refusal to go to the underworld.

Should I try to persuade her…? Jion chewed on the inside of his cheek as he pondered seriously. Just then, Seon Ayoung pursed her lips once, then released them and spoke.

“I have a question…”

“Huh? Um… what is it?”

“…Are you a grim reaper too? At first, I thought you were human… but last time, I saw you with a grim reaper…”

Caught off guard by the question, which was so different from the conversation and atmosphere just moments ago, Jion couldn’t help but chuckle softly. Come to think of it, since he’d always been with a grim reaper whenever Seon Ayoung had met him, it was only natural she’d have that misunderstanding. Jion shook his head.

“I just happen to be able to see ghosts. I can see grim reapers, too.”

“Oh… I see…”

The conversation ended with Seon Ayoung’s reply, but Jion was happy just because she had asked him a question first. She didn’t find the current situation uncomfortable, at least.

If that was the case, would it be okay to bring up the real topic now? Jion adjusted his grip on the umbrella, turned his head, and gazed at Seon Ayoung’s face. Her expressionless face, which gave no hint of her thoughts, evoked a feeling similar to the atmosphere exuded by Kwon Chasa.

He wondered what Kwon Chasa was doing right now. Just thinking about him for a moment lifted Jion’s spirits, and he forced the smile from his face before speaking.

“I asked you if you had a wish, remember?”

He had once told Seon Ayoung before that he would grant her wish if she had one, but she had simply shaken her head back then. However, seeing that she ​unauthorized copy​now felt restless and had the will to take action, a change might have occurred in her heart since then.

Jion waited quietly for Seon Ayoung’s answer. Seon Ayoung kept her gaze fixed on the floor. But soon, she gave a slight nod. Relieved that she’d finally responded, Jion continued.

“You said you didn’t have a wish back then, but what about now? Has anything come to mind?”

“…….”

“I’ll grant you one wish without asking for anything in return. Usually, I make them pay dearly for them… ”

Not wanting to make the atmosphere any heavier, he joked. Seon Ayoung lifted her head and asked, looking confused.

“…Do you take money from dead people?”

“No. Not money, but a promise.”

“A promise?”

“Yeah. A promise to follow the grim reaper to the underworld.”

Even after he explained it, Seon Ayoung still didn’t seem to get it. It wasn’t as if she’d ever really trusted him to begin with, but she seemed to be leaning even more toward distrust.

Did he sound too much like a con artist? Jion rubbed the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly. He didn’t feel like explaining the reason, it would just make him look like he was rambling on all by himself.

Before he knew it, Seon Ayoung’s expression seemed to say that it would be more believable if he’d approached her just for the money. Feeling wronged, Jion immediately put on a hurt expression.

“I’m serious… Do I look like the type who likes money?”

“…….”

“Well… I guess there’s no one who doesn’t like money.”

Jion muttered self-deprecatingly and sighed. But he couldn’t just give up. He clutched his umbrella with both hands and put on a determined expression.

“I won’t ask for money, and I won’t ask you to make a promise, so just tell me. I’ll do my best.”

Right now, Seon Ayoung must be the biggest headache for Kwon Chasa.

Thinking back on the ghosts he had met so far, even if it took a lot of time, he had managed to send them all to the underworld. But since Seon Ayoung still stubbornly refused to leave this world, resolving this quickly would be a good outcome for both Kwon Chasa and Seon Ayoung.

He didn’t know exactly how severe the punishments were for such souls in the underworld, but he did know how terrifying each of the hells was. That was why the grim reapers had to take the deceased to the underworld as soon as possible, to spare them even a moment of punishment there and to give them a chance to be reborn as humans.

Since Seon Ayoung refused to leave because she didn’t want to be reborn as a human, she might not fully understand that going to the underworld quickly would be for her own good. That was why he didn’t want to try to persuade her with such words too hastily.

He simply hoped that the number of people, those in a similar situation to his mother, who had ignored the natural order and remained in this world, who might have to suffer punishment in hell would decrease, even if only slightly. And he simply hoped that Seon Ayoung would recognize this sincerity, even just a little, right now.

The two remained silent for quite some time. They simply conveyed their sincerity to one another by staring at each other. When Jion noticed Seon Ayoung’s eyes trembling slightly and gave a reassuring smile, she suddenly lowered her head.

“…I want… an apology.”

The voice that finally came out much later was choked. Jion tilted the umbrella a little closer to Seon Ayoung.

“That man said it back then. He said I didn’t do anything wrong. So… I want an apology, too.”

Even though Seon Ayoung didn’t say who she Read onwanted an apology from, Jion knew. It must be those kids who bullied Seon Ayoung.

Jion looked at Seon Ayoung, whose eyes were still fixed on the floor, and sighed inwardly. It sounded simple enough, but it was a wish that was both awkward and difficult to fulfill. What Seon Ayoung wanted wasn’t just a verbal apology, but one offered after sincerely reflecting on and regretting their actions.

Could he really get that apology just through his own persuasion? Seon Ayoung was already dead, and it was anyone’s guess whether ordinary people would believe in ghosts or follow his words. After all, he’d been treated like a madman more than once.

But he couldn’t give up before even trying. Once she received the apology, Seon Ayoung’s heart might soften, and then he might be able to break her stubborn refusal to go to the underworld.

“I’ll give it a try. But… it might take some time.”

Yet, determination and overwhelming despair were two different things.

“I’m not sure how far I can go… but anyway, I’ll do my best.”

Because this was a request he wanted to grant more than ever before, his words were imbued with a strong sense of determination. Only then did Seon Ayoung lift her head to look at Jion. He had reached out to offer his pinky finger but hesitated, and slipped his hand back into his pocket as if nothing had happened.

Jion adjusted his grip on the umbrella and smiled at Seon Ayoung. Before long, the rain began to subside little by little, and the ear-stinging sound of the rain gradually faded away. However, no one stepped away from the tree; they shared the umbrella until the rain completely stopped.

***

“Ugh…”

Jion sat at his desk and tore at his hair. He hadn’t even looked at the desk in his room since the college entrance exam, so it felt like it had been quite a while since he had sat down like this.

The notebook Jion had spread out was covered in messy writing. One corner was filled with question marks, there was a star drawn in the middle, and at the top, there were just dots.

Jion sighed, put down his pen, and stretched his arms wide. He felt like he needed to pour some cold water down his throat. He thought that might clear his head.

As he opened the door and stepped out, the quiet atmosphere of the empty house felt desolate today. His grandfather had left early that morning, saying an old friend had come to Seoul, and Jion, who had planned to go to Dakyung to help out, suddenly found himself with some free time.

On a normal day, he would have slept in, but today he couldn’t. He had to figure out how to help Seon Ayoung.

He had gotten some information from Seon Ayoung yesterday. He had written down the name of the school she attended and the names of the people who bullied her, as well as the name of the girl who had been a close friend but suddenly started bullying her. There were 4 of them in total, and she said that aside from her middle school friend, the other 3 were so bad that even the teachers at school kept a close eye on them as troublemakers.

Jion poured a glass full of water from the fridge and gulped it down without even taking a breath. The top of his head tingled, but unfortunately, his mind didn’t feel any clearer.

Jion wiped the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, put the glass away, and returned to his room. He sat back down at his desk and picked up a pen, but paused for a moment.

Reapers must have much more freedom of movement since they are invisible to ordinary people…

That thought had suddenly crossed his mind.