GRR 97

Kwon Chasa gritted his teeth and clenched his fists to steady his nerves.

“…I’m not really sure myself.”

Since explaining what Yeomra was curious about would require mentioning Jion’s mother as well, Kwon Chasa glossed over the matter. Judging by the expression on Jion’s face as he tried to force a smile, it wasn’t a story he should bring up.

Kwon Chasa recalled his original purpose and changed the subject.

“If you let me see the Mirror of Karma, I’ll bring the soul to the underworld as quickly as possible. After all, even you, King Yeomra, were curious about that soul.”

“Kwon Chasa, I’ve never seen you this proactive before.”

King Yeomra raised the tone of her voice with a sly glance as if she had already figured everything out. Kwon Chasa forced a calm facade.

“Are you not going to show me?”

“Are you really going to bring her to the underworld as quickly as possible? I’m quite curious about that soul myself.”

Yeomra, speaking with feigned nonchalance, deliberated for a moment before giving a nod to the Kings standing behind her, then she immediately left Kwon Chasa behind. She hurried her pace until she stopped at the entrance to the Chunma Hell. As he watched Yeomra’s receding figure, something suddenly flew through the air, struck Kwon Chasa’s shoulder, and clattered to the ground.

Just as he bent down to pick it up, Yeomra’s voice rang out.

“Lock the door securely. Give the key to the guide before you go.”

When he looked up, Yeomra had her back to him and waved her hand in the air. As soon as Yeomra disappeared through the door, Kwon Chasa clenched the key in his hand and turned to leave.

His destination was the lowest level of the underground level in Yeomra Palace, where the Mirror of Karma was located.

***

“So, aside from Han Heeju, the other three… aren’t at that school?”

Jion couldn’t hide his surprise at Kwon Chasa’s words. Kwon Chasa nodded once before continuing his explanation.

“All three transferred to different schools on the same day. Among them, Park Hyejeong left for a foreign country not long after.”

“So Han Heeju is the only one still attending that school now?”

When he asked this, clearly confused by the situation, Kwon Chasa nodded again.

If three out of the four people Seon Ayoung mentioned no longer attend that school, something must have happened. It couldn’t be a mere coincidence. It was certainly not common for three people from the same class to transfer to different schools on the exact same day.

The only one left at the school was Han Heeju. Han Heeju had [visit our site]a particularly close relationship with Seon Ayoung. They’d been friends since middle school and even went to the same high school, but Han Heeju was the very friend who suddenly turned her back on her.

He hadn’t expected things to be easy, but facing this unexpected situation made him feel even more at a loss. But he had to try everything he could, so he decided to set aside the three who had transferred and focus on finding out more about Han Heeju.

“What does Han Heeju look like? Does she have long hair? Was there anything strange or unusual about her?”

At Jion’s question, Kwon Chasa paused for a moment, then spoke.

“Her hair seemed to be on the long side, but she had it tied up, and her height… I’d say she’s about shoulder-height to you.”

“Hmm… Is there any distinguishing feature that would make her stand out at a glance?”

“More than that, there was something a bit strange about her.”

“Something… strange?”

“She was always alone, ate alone, and didn’t say a single word to anyone. It felt like she was an outcast in the class.”

Jion furrowed his brow, lost in thought. Even if her close friends had transferred schools, it wasn’t normal for her to not speak to anyone in her class at all.

What had happened to them after Seon Ayoung died? As Jion’s expression grew increasingly grim, Kwon Chasa tapped the table to get his attention. Jion looked up at Kwon Chasa with wide eyes.

“Those three who transferred schools started bullying other students after Seon Ayoung died. Han Heeju gradually became an outsider among them, and eventually, those three started bullying Han Heeju.”

“Oh… You mean that’s why….”

The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. The three students, excluding Han Heeju, had continued to bully others without a shred of guilt, even after Seon Ayoung took her own life. They simply had switched targets. In the process, Han Heeju had apparently reached her limit and distanced herself from the group. In the end Han Heeju had become the target of their bullying.

The school had finally taken action. It couldn’t have been their own choice for all three of them to transfer schools at the same time. The school must have forced them to transfer.

If that was the case, it made sense why Han Heeju was an outcast in her class. Even though the three had disappeared, everyone knew she used to hang out with them, so it was obvious her relationship with her classmates would be strained.

Just as he had come up with a fairly plausible theory, Jion felt a pang of doubt. He wondered how Kwon Chasa had managed to find out even that.

“Kwon Chasa, how did you find out something like that?”

Even if he could move freely without being noticed, it wouldn’t be easy to uncover such details. On top of that, Kwon Chasa already knew everything about the past. It was as if he had witnessed it all firsthand…

“I went to the underworld and checked the Mirror of Karma.”

“The Mirror of Karma?”

Jion stared at Kwon Chasa, who answered without so much as a flicker of emotion.

“When I first went to the school, it felt strange that only Han Heeju was there, so I ​visit our site​thought I should look into it more.”

Hearing that matter-of-fact reply made him feel strangely uneasy. Had Kwon Chasa ever taken such an active role before? It seemed like he was always quick to object whenever Jion said he’d grant a ghost’s wish. But then again, even while objecting, he’d often stayed by his side or helped him out. He even went to the amusement park with him when he granted Choi Heechan’s wish.

If anything had changed, it was probably just that he’d become much kinder and more affectionate lately. They’d clearly been having a serious conversation just a moment ago, but as he thought back on everything from the past to the present, a smile came to his lips again.

In the past, Kwon Chasa would have said, “Why are you laughing?” but this time he said nothing. He simply watched Jion smiling happily while clutching his aching stomach.

It wasn’t so much pain as a faint ache that jolted him awake, as if something were reminding him of something. Just then, Jion suddenly approached and threw himself into his arms. Startled, Kwon Chasa stood there awkwardly with his arms outstretched and a frown on his face.

“Why have you been treating me so well lately?”

“…When did I ever treat you well?”

“You come when I call, you take me home when I ask, and you’ve done everything I’ve asked of you.”

Even when he first confessed his feelings, he was busy pushing him away, but lately, it seemed like he was subtly accepting him. His tone, which used to be so harsh, had also softened a bit.

Jion couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he hugged him even tighter so he couldn’t push him away.

“You’re not pushing me away anymore.”

“……”

“Last time, you just… hugged me like this.”

Being this close made his heart pound so hard it felt like it might burst. But even if it did burst, he wanted to stay like this. Jion poured all his longing into the embrace.

“Kwon Chasa-nim, I’m here…”

Just then, Yu Chasa’s voice broke the subtly heated atmosphere. Since he hadn’t heard the door open or any footsteps, the intrusion left him flustered. Startled, Jion jumped out of Kwon Chasa’s arms and sat down back into his original seat. Kwon Chasa pretended not to notice, clearing his throat.

“You two… what were you just doing…?”

Yu Chasa was startled, his eyes were wide open, and he even covered his mouth with his hand. Instead of answering Yu Chasa’s question, Kwon Chasa acted as if nothing had happened and changed the subject.

“Seon Ayoung.”

“Ah, she’s still in the same spot. I guess she doesn’t plan on moving today. But she was a little different from usual… she kept glaring at a certain living person.”

“Glaring at a living person?”

While the two grim reapers were talking, Jion glanced at Yu Chasa, who was sitting across from him. Fortunately, Yu Chasa seemed to have erased what he’d just seen from his mind, likely due to Kwon Chasa’s serious question. Yu Chasa nodded vigorously before continuing.

“Yes. She looked to be around the same age as Seon Ayoung, and she was wearin[Read on]g the same clothes.”

Jion, who had been listening silently, suddenly interrupted the conversation. If it was wearing the same clothes as Seon Ayoung, then it must be the school uniform from the school Seon Ayoung attended.

“Yu Chasa-nim, did you happen to see a name tag? The one attached here, on this side. There must have been a name on it.”

“No, I didn’t get a good look at that. The girl was curled up the whole time.”

Although there wasn’t a single piece of concrete evidence, Jion was certain that the girl Yu Chasa had seen was connected to Seon Ayoung. Before he knew it, a spark of determination lit up in Jion’s eyes.

“Is Seon Ayoung’s house near that children’s park?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Someone who knew where Seon Ayoung lived and could find her way there. Someone wearing the same school uniform as Seon Ayoung, someone who might have been on the receiving end of Seon Ayoung’s furious glare.

Could the person that Yu Chasa saw be Han Heeju?