GRR 43

Just as Jion was lost in self pitying thoughts, he suddenly felt an unfamiliar presence and turned toward the door. Though the bell hadn’t rung, someone had entered the convenience store. The man walked right through the glass door and approached Jion directly.

“Hi, Jion.”

It was Baek Kitae. Seeing him under the convenience store’s bright lights, his condition was far more dire than when Jion had seen him in the darkness. About half of his face was covered in blood, and his right arm was bent not just at the elbow but all the way down to his fingers. Jion had seen ghosts like this more than once, but Baek Kitae was the most pitiful looking of them all.

But Jion greeted him with a bright smile.

“Hello, hyung. What brings you here?”

“I was just wandering around and got bored, so I stopped by. Looks like there aren’t any customers.”

Baek Kitae asked while glancing around. Jion gave a slightly sheepish smile before answering.

“I heard something happened around here early this morning. That’s probably why people aren’t coming in.”

“What happened?”

Judging by the way his eyes widened, he was completely unaware of what had happened nearby. Although Baek Kitae was no longer of this world, it wasn’t something Jion couldn’t tell him.

“There’s a bus stop nearby. Apparently, some people waiting for the bus there suddenly lost consciousness. They weren’t people with pre-existing conditions, and there ​visit our site​were no visible injuries. They weren’t even acquainted with each other. Since no one knows the reason yet, people are speculating it might be a drug related attack.”

“I see…”

Upon hearing this, Baek Kitae’s eyebrows drooped in a gloomy expression. He, too, looked concerned for the victims.

“Jion, are you okay? Do you take the bus?”

“No. Actually, if I take the bus, I have to take a longer, roundabout route home. It’s about a 10-minute walk from here.… so I just walk.”

Just as Jion finished speaking, a customer walked in looking for cigarettes. Baek Kitae watched the customer’s retreating figure as he paid and hurried out, then turned his gaze back to Jion.

“Jion, by the way, did you go to the houses I told you about?”

The voice that suddenly rang out was so low that Jion unconsciously took a step back.

“Ah… I’m sorry. On weekdays, I don’t have time because I have to work part time after school… But I have plenty of time on weekends, so I plan to visit them one by one starting tomorrow. But I have plans tomorrow, so I don’t think I’ll be able to visit all four places right away….”

He should have explained the situation to him first. Maybe Baek Kitae had been waiting for his news all day today. Jion was feeling guilty, but Baek Kitae smiled.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you…. You can take your time when you have a moment, and it’s fine if it takes a while. You’re helping me out by carving out time from your busy schedule. I’m grateful just for that.”

Baek Kitae smiled brightly to reassure him. Feeling a little more relieved, Jion smiled back at him. He cautiously began speaking after remembering something.

“Hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“Well… about that note you mentioned the other day.”

Baek Kitae’s eyes lit up at the sudden change of topic. Before Jion could continue, Baek Kitae spoke first.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Is it hard for you to do me this favor?”

“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering if it might be better to write it out in more detail to better convey… gratitude.”

Baek Kitae considered Jion’s suggestion before smiling.

“Thanks for thinking of that, but I like the content as it is. Can you write it just like that?”

“Oh… okay…. Then how about at least including your name? If you leave it like that, people might not know who sent it…”

“No need. Everyone will know who sent it just by reading the content.”

“Okay…”

“Thanks, Jion.”

In the end, all the suggestions he’d brought up were politely turned down. Feeling awkward, Jion rubbed the back of his neck, then realized he hadn’t asked the most important question yet and quickly spoke up.

“Ah, hyung.”

“Hmm?”

“What kind of flowers should I buy? Would regular roses be okay?”

As he asked, thinking of the most common flowers for gifts, Baek Kitae shook his head with a smile. He said in a low voice.

“No. Rather than roses… white chrysanthemums would be better.”Used for funerals and remembrance, symbolizing grief and honoring loved ones.

A mysterious smile appeared on Baek Kitae’s face.

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The next day, using the excuse of going to the library, Jion left home and boarded the subway heading to the columbarium where his mother and grandmother’s urns were kept. It was crowded because stolen contentit was the weekend, but luckily, the person in front of him got off right away, so he was able to grab a seat.

Inside the subway, Jion was lost in thought.

‘No. Rather than roses… white chrysanthemums would be better.’

Why did Baek Kitae choose white chrysanthemums? Of all flowers, they’re the ones most commonly used for memorial offerings. Although Jion wasn’t particularly interested in flowers, he knew they weren’t the kind you’d give as a gift.

White chrysanthemums weren’t easy to find either. He called flower shops near his house to ask if they sold them, but every attempt was in vain. While he was wondering what to do, he suddenly remembered a flower shop near the columbarium. He called them and, was told they had some. He went there, thinking it was better than nothing, but he felt uneasy the whole time.

The note and the white chrysanthemums. When he connected the two, he couldn’t possibly interpret the words on the note in a positive light. Even though Baek Kitae had said they were a heartfelt gift for people he was grateful to.

In fact, even when Baek Kitae had said he’d like white chrysanthemums, he’d felt a brief, eerie chill. He couldn’t tell if it was because he was a ghost or if he’d exuded some kind of energy in that moment. Maybe he was just overthinking it.

Jion sighed, and when the phone in his hand vibrated, he immediately checked the screen.

[Student. When are you going to call? I’m going to see Yeomra.]

It was a text from Kwon Chasa. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but the moment he saw the name “Kwon Chasa-Ahjussi,” his heart tightened. Haa… Jion exhaled before checking the station where the subway had just stopped, and calculating the time.

He figured he’d get off in 20 minutes, stop by the flower shop, go to Jongno to drop off the flowers, and by then he’d probably be a bit hungry, so he’d grab a quick lunch… He thought he’d be back in about two hours.

[In about two hours!]

After sending the reply, Jion stared at the screen, waiting for a response. But his phone remained silent until he got off at his destination. Did that mean he was satisfied just because he got the answer he wanted? He felt a pang of disappointment, but then shook his head.

What’s there to be disappointed about? Kwon Chasa asked, and I answered. Isn’t that enough?

Jion nodded his head several times, and got off the subway when it reached his destination.

He headed straight to the flower shop. Jion had intended to buy just a single white chrysanthemum, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like it, so he asked them to mix in flowers of other colors and make a small bouquet. Although this ended up costing more than he’d expected, he felt much more at ease.

After buying the flowers, he took the subway again. His destination was Jongno. Since it was relatively close to the flower shop, he arrived in no time. Jion checked the map periodically as he made his way to the location Baek Kitae had given him.

His destination was a five story building in a neighborhood that looked much like the one where Jion lived. He arrived without much trouble.

Jion took a Post it note out of his bag, peeled off the pre written slip, and attached it to the bouquet. After double checking the address, he left it in front of the house and walked away. He didn’t know why his heart was pounding so fast, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.

After quickly staving off his hunger with a cup of instant noodles at a nearby convenience store, reality hit him, and he couldn’t help but sigh. The time had come to face Kwon Chasa.

“…….”

Jion took a deep breath to steady his trembling heart and clenched his fists. Stay calm. I’m fine. He’ll definitely start with some rude remark the moment he sees me, and once I hear that, I’ll realize that all these feelings and physical reactions were just a figment of my imagination. Jion nodded resolutely and stepped out of the convenience store.

He wandered around looking for a secluded place. Jion entered a nearby commercial building and headed for the emergency exit. He took the wooden plaque out of his bag, placed his hand over [Read on]the name, and silently called out to Kwon Chasa. Not long after, the plaque glowed, and he appeared before him. Kwon Chasa looked around for a moment, then tilted his head slightly and asked.

“Where are we? This doesn’t look like your place.”

“…I had some business to attend to, so I came out early.”

“What business could you possibly have other than studying?”

Just as he’d expected, Kwon Chasa calmly said those disheartening words. Jion felt exasperated, yet as he sensed a subtle throbbing through his body, he sighed. Meanwhile, Kwon Chasa placed his hand on the wall to summon the gate.

“You’re not good at studying, right?”

“Huh?”

The sudden voice brought him back to reality. Jion sighed in exasperation and looked up at Kwon Chasa, who held out his hand to him.