GRR 42

Jion finally spoke up after a while.

“Did Yu Chasa say anything else? Like if he had any specific requests, or if he was at least open to communication….”

Hoping for any additional information that might be helpful, he asked, and Kwon Chasa closed the register and set it down on the table.

“Just that he was a bit playful? He didn’t say anything about being difficult to deal with, so it should be manageable.”

Jion jotted down a rough summary of Kwon Chasa’s words. A playful ghost… He was slightly worried he might make some mischievous requests, but he decided not to worry about it yet.

Instead, he stared at Kwon Chasa with eyes hoping for more, but when their gazes met, he hurriedly looked down. His heart began to pound unnaturally, as if it had malfunctioned, and his whole body started thudding. Kwon Chasa, unaware of Jion’s reaction, continued speaking.

“Oh, and among Choi Heechan’s family, his father and his older brother, who was seven years his senior, died on the same day, just a few hours before Choi Heechan.”

“…What?”

Jion suddenly looked up. His face was frozen in shock. Kwon Chasa’s expression had also softened slightly.

“The only one still alive is Choi Heechan’s mother. Fortunately, his father and older brother passed on in time, and they are now waiting for reincarnation in the Seocheon Flower Garden.”

Such a terrible tragedy had befallen a single family on the very same day. Jion could not even begin to imagine how the mother must feel. At least the father and older brother had passed on to the underworld in time, that was a relief.

Kwon Chasa looked at Jion, who had grown somber as if he [stolen content]had experienced the event himself. He seemed to genuinely feel sorry for Choi Heechan, a person with whom he had no connection.

Although he knew how to express his thoughts clearly, he was excessively reserved when it came to other people’s affairs. Besides, with his spiritual eyes, he would surrender his body far too easily if a vengeful ghost set its mind on approaching him. He felt he could finally understand, at least a little, the heavy expression Kang Seoyoon had worn when she said she worried about Jion because he was too kind.

I wish he’d be a little unfriendly to ghosts, just like he’s always grumbling at me. Kwon Chasa clicked his tongue and continued.

“So Yu Chasa guessed the request might be related to the mother… You’ll know once you meet him.”

Jion nodded slightly and fiddled with his phone. Then, feeling a warmth on the top of his head, he looked up and saw Kwon Chasa with his arms crossed. The latter tilted his head while staring at him. Jion grew nervous when he looked into his dark eyes, from which it was impossible to read his thoughts.

He looked like he was about to unleash a torrent of nagging the moment he opened his mouth, but instead, he shook his head and stood up.

“You said you’re only free on weekends, right?”

“…Yes.”

Jion wondered what he wanted to say, but feeling it might be a topic not good for his mental health, he let it go. Anyway, he had planned to make time this weekend to help Baek Kitae with his request, but now with Choi Heechan’s case added, it looked like he would be quite busy.

“Then call me when you’re free. Don’t be lazy and wait until the last minute.”

Jion pouted at the sarcastic remark. Kwon Chasa responded with an impassive expression. He nodded to signal him to follow, then walked out of the living room. Jion grabbed his bag, and hurried after him.

Jion clenched his jaw as he walked a few steps behind, overwhelmed by a strange feeling he couldn’t put his finger on.

Once they left this place, crossed the yard, and stood in front of the gate, the moment would come again when he would have to hold his hand. For some reason, that thought scared [unauthorized copy]him, but at the same time, he looked forward to it.

***

Jion, who had stayed up late looking into whether there had been any incidents involving Choi Heechan’s family, skipped breakfast to avoid being late and entered the classroom. In one corner of the room, he saw a group of five or six students, including Go Youngjae and Oh Hyunsoo, huddled together.

He was relieved that he wasn’t late. Jion glanced at Oh Hyunsoo as he made his way to his seat. Usually, Oh Hyunsoo was the first to acknowledge him when he entered the classroom, but today he was engrossed in conversation with a grim face.

As soon as Jion set his bag down, Oh Hyunsoo finally noticed he had arrived. His serious expression melted away as he let out a sigh of relief. Confused, Jion tilted his head, and Oh Hyunsoo quickly beckoned him over. Go Youngjae slung his arm around his shoulder as soon as Kion scurried over, and said,

“See? I told you Chae ji was just running late.”

He’d been wondering why they looked so serious, it seemed like they had been betting on him. As Jion sized up the atmosphere, Im Juseong, who was always quick to pick up on the latest gossip, spoke up.

“Chae ji, did anything happen to you?”

The moment he heard those words, Jion pursed his lips. Why is he suddenly asking that? Could it be that, like Kwon Chasa, he’s worried about me too?

As Jion thought this far, instead of feeling his heart race, he felt a chill run down his spine. Goosebumps even rose on the back of his neck. His mood and feelings were completely different from when he had heard Kwon Chasa’s words.

Seeing that Jion didn’t respond, Im Juseong spoke again.

“There’s a bus stop near the convenience store where you work, right? I heard that yesterday, some people waiting for the bus there suddenly lost consciousness.”

“Yesterday? When yesterday? Nothing happened while I was working or on my way home…”

It was news to him. People suddenly losing consciousness? And if it was the bus stop near the convenience store, it wasn’t even that far away.

“I’m not really sure about that. Guess it must have happened after you got off work. Anyway, everyone’s going on and on about whether it’s drugs or not. They say there are drugs these days that can make you pass out just from smelling them.”

“That’s fucking scary.”

Oh Hyunsoo rubbed his forearms. Just then, the bell rang and the homeroom teacher entered through the front door, so Jion and the other students quickly found their seats and sat down.

After finishing a round of scolding disguised as lecture, the homeroom teacher hurried out of the classroom, and Jion started thinking about what Im Juseong had said. To think that something like that happened right near the convenience store where he worked. The thought that it could happen to him too sent a chill down his spine.

Jion checked his schedule, took a book out of his desk drawer and placed it on the desk, then picked up his phone.

He went to a news portal and searched, only to find that what Im Juseong had mentioned had already been reported. It said that between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m., a man and a woman waiting for a late night bus at a bus stop near the convenience store where he worked had suddenly collapsed.

A passerby had called the police, and they were taken to the emergency room, but since there were no serious health issues, they were discharged quickly. After reading that far, he scrolled down to the comments section, where the majority of people were speculating, just as Im Juseong had said, that it might be drugs. However, the cause hadn’t been properly identified yet. Just as he was about to put his phone back in his bag, Oh Hyunsoo suddenly shouted.

“Damn it! Chae Ji, did you know we had a pop quiz in English today?”

“Yeah, I knew. The teacher mentioned it a bunch of times.”

“Ah, shit… I’m screwed. Why did I forget?”

Jion chuckled as he watched Oh Hyunsoo clutch his head. Thanks to that, the gloomy mood brightened a little. The classroom quickly became noisy again, and Jion, swept [Read on]up in the atmosphere, was able to put his heavy thoughts aside for a moment.

‎ ***

The story Jion heard from Im Hyejin as soon as he arrived at his part time job wasn’t unrelated to what he’d heard from Im Juseong at school. Im Hyejin said she’d been shocked by the news article too, and repeatedly urged Jion to be careful on his way home.

Jion was more worried about Im Hyejin than himself, so he came out to the door to see her off. He watched her head toward the subway station for a while, and only hurried back inside after seeing a customer enter.

After the customer left, the convenience store became even quieter than usual. Perhaps because of what had happened in the early hours of the morning, it was even more deserted.

“……”

As he sat there listening to the occasional hum of the refrigerator, Kwon Chasa naturally came to mind. Jion rubbed his face so vigorously that the skin on his palms stung from the friction.

Tomorrow was the day he was supposed to meet Kwon Chasa, and he worried whether he’d be able to act normal in front of him.

Honestly, it still didn’t make any sense. He couldn’t understand why Kwon Chasa kept invading his thoughts, or why his heart raced whenever he thought of his touch. But the more he tried to deny it, the more his heart pushed him to just accept it.

How could I possibly fall for a man… a grim reaper like that?

All Kwon Chada did was worry about him a few times and step in to protect him when he thought he might have been in danger.

…Was I always this easily swayed?