GRR 106

In the blink of an eye, Kwon Chasa leapt into the air and blocked the ghost’s path with the handle of his buwol. Jion was worried she might just pass right through it and run even farther away, but the ghost crashed into the handle and was sent flying backward. The buwol didn’t budge an inch.

The impact must have been significant, for as the ghost staggered, Kwon Chasa reached out and grabbed her wrist. To Jion, it looked like a light grip, but the ghost’s face contorted in pain.

Kwon Chasa descended to the ground, still holding the ghost tightly. Only then could Jion properly examine the ghost’s face and appearance. Her disheveled bob was matted in places, and blood had dried from her temples down to her chin. The blood staining her ivory-colored cardigan was no less extensive.

“What happened?”

“While Kwon Chasa was away for a moment, she kept running off in all directions… I’m sorry….”

Yu Chasa followed Kwon Chasa back down to the ground with a listless expression. When Kwon Chasa turned his head, the ghost finally gave up. Her body went limp and she started gasping.

Jion felt his heart ache as he looked at the ghost, who reminded him of his mother.

“You must know it’s no use trying to run away.”

Kwon Chasa’s cold voice made even Jion freeze. He felt the atmosphere where disaster might strike if he didn’t intervene, he reached out to grab his arm, but Kwon Chasa’s voice beat him to it.

“Haven’t I told you several times already that your karma will be passed on to your child?”

Jion’s hand, which had belatedly reached to grab Kwon Chasa’s wrist, stopped in mid-air. It was because of a remark from Kwon Chasa that naturally overlapped with a single phrase that remained relatively vivid in a corner of his memory.

‘Your karma will pass to your child, so stop dragging this out and just leave now.’

Jion didn’t know the face or name of the grim reaper who had said those words to his mother. All he knew was that the voice was cold and terrifying, so much so that he could tell instantly that he was angry. All he had seen that day was the dark silhouette of the grim reaper taking his mother away, and the buwol he held.

So why was Kwon Chasa’s figure now superimposed over the silhouette of the grim reaper he had encountered in the past?

Suddenly, his heart began to pound, and his clenched fists trembled. Jion looked at Kwon Chasa, but the latter kept his gaze fixed solely on the soul he had cornered.

“A dead person clinging to a living one won’t end well. So you should let go of your attachments ​Read on​and leave this place now.”

Only then did Kwon Chasa release the ghost’s hand. Unable to resist, the ghost collapsed to the ground and began to cry loudly. Yu Chasa sighed, seeming slightly relieved. Jion gritted his teeth, the voice that was etched into his mind would not leave.

‘You should let go of your attachments and leave this place quickly.’

Why do I keep thinking about the voice of the grim reaper who took my mother? Why does that voice sound similar to Kwon Chasa’s voice right now?

Is it just a simple delusion? Or is there something similar about them? Or perhaps… was the grim reaper I saw when I was a child actually Kwon Chasa?

Even though nothing was certain yet, his hands started trembling.

‘Something similar happened before. It’s been over ten years, though.”

‘That soul was a mother, too. She stayed in this world for nearly a year, so she held out very stubbornly.’

An incident from over ten years ago. Jion recalled the story Kwon Chasa had told Yu Chasa. As he gasped ​Read on​for breath, his stomach felt heavy, and his whole body grew cold.

The day the grim reaper came to take his mother away. Even after hearing that icy voice, she couldn’t bring herself to leave this world because she was trying to comfort him.

‘Mom… is sorry, I couldn’t stay by your side until the very end…’

‘Baby, it’s okay. Let’s stop crying, okay?’

He had been curled up and trembling, so he couldn’t remember his mother’s face as she said those words. Her voice trembled, and he was too busy crying to notice.

“Uh… Jion, why… why are you crying?”

As the flustered Yu Chasa stammered, Kwon Chasa’s gaze also turned toward Jion. Realizing only then that he was shedding tears, Jion panicked and hurriedly wiped the corners of his eyes.

Thinking back to the day his mother left did make his heart ache, but it wasn’t so heartbreaking or painful that he’d be overwhelmed by grief. He thought he’d grown that much more numb and resilient, so he had no idea why he was crying.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine….”

Jion managed to speak. Kwon Chasa watched him silently with a slight frown, but then he took a step closer and grabbed his hand. As if he had suddenly turned back into a human, his hand maintained a warmth that instantly melted the chill from Jion’s hands.

That warmth only made Jion’s tears flow more freely. He couldn’t figure out why he was acting this way or what the problem even was.

“I’m sorry… Ah, why am I doing this….”

With his free right hand, Jion wiped away his tears. Kwon Chasa sighed, cast a cold glance at the ghost still slumped on the floor, and then turned his gaze to Yu Chasa.

“Yu Chasa, take the student home.”

“…No. I’m fine… I’m fine.”

Jion shook his head stubbornly. The movement was so forceful it made his hair flutter, and it looked somewhat unnatural, causing Kwon Chasa to frown. Jion tried to smile at him, but the corners of his mouth fell back into place.

Kwon Chasa glanced briefly at Jion, then at the ghost, who was ​Read on​still weeping. There was still no reaction from the jeokpaeji tucked into his jacket pocket. It meant the deceased wasn’t ready to leave for the underworld yet.

It was best to call it a day. Since Jion, who had so resolutely offered to help, had suddenly burst into tears, he felt he needed to find out the reason first. However, Jion rubbed his eyes vigorously to clear his vision, then pushed Kwon Chasa’s hand away and took a step forward.

Forcing himself to appear calm, Jion bent his knees and crouched down to meet the ghost’s eye level. The ghost, who had been staring at the floor, slowly raised her head and looked at Jion.

“…If you have a wish, I’ll grant it for you.”

The traces of sobbing had not yet completely cleared from his voice. After he barely managed to finish his sentence, Jion stared at the woman, whose appearance looked even more pitiful up close, trying his best to act as if nothing was wrong. His nose stung as his mother’s face kept overlapping with the woman’s. Her expression was blank, as if she did not understand the meaning of Jion’s words.

Jion took a deep breath and continued.

“My mom was like that, too. She passed away when I was little, but she stayed by my side for a whole year. Later, when the grim reaper came to take her away… he got really angry then too. He said she wasn’t supposed to stay in this world for so long…”

“What are you talking about?”

Kwon Chasa, who had been listening silently, interrupted. When Jion turned his [visit our site]head around, he saw a startled Yu Chasa and a serious Kwon Chasa.

“You saw the grim reaper back then too?”

When Kwon Chasa asked in a slightly cold voice, Jion nodded. Come to think of it, although he had mentioned that his mother had passed away, he didn’t think he’d ever mentioned seeing the grim reaper at that time. Jion bit his lower lip, then managed to answer.

“…I didn’t know he was a grim reaper back then. I could only see his back… I only found out later when Grandpa told me.”

But was this really something to get so serious about? If it was a problem, wasn’t the recent period when he’d been encountering the grim reapers frequently more dangerous? Jion couldn’t hide his confusion as he looked at Kwon Chasa, who frowned.

After gauging Kwon Chasa’s reaction for a moment, Jion couldn’t bear the heavy silence any longer and turned his gaze toward the ghost. She was still silent, and was almost dazed. Jion struggled to find the right words to break the woman’s trance.

“I heard… you have a child.”

“……”

“So… is that why you can’t leave? Because you’re worried?”

The ghost covered her mouth with her hand. Jion bit his lip as he watched the woman’s shoulders tremble, and only then did the ghost manage to nod her head.

It was a relief that she wasn’t uncooperative. He didn’t sense any threatening aura either. Jion exhaled softly.

“What’s the child’s name?”

“…Lee Mingyu.”

“Mingyu… Lee Mingyu……”

Jion repeated the child’s name while gazing at her. She had calmed down somewhat since the beginning, but her breathing was still shaky, and her body twitched intermittently.

He felt that his mother’s final words were echoing from somewhere. When his mother’s face superimposed itself over the image of the ghost, curled up in agony, he had to close his eyes.