GRR 61

“I’ll be back, Kwon Chasa-nim!”

After being caught meeting Nam Seunghee behind his back, Yu Chasa had become significantly more cooperative than usual. Leading a soul bound in shackles, Yu Chasa politely bowed before disappearing beyond the hongsalmun. Kwon Chasa slightly pulled back his jacket to check the jeokpaeji for the next soul he was to collect. It would have been nice if it reacted on its own, but as expected, it remained silent. He would have to go through the trouble of finding them himself.

The name written on the register was Seo Geunho. He was a fairly elderly man. Usually, those who lived out their full natural lives rarely insisted on refusing to leave the mortal world. As people aged, many tended to gradually organize their lives and clear their minds.

Judging by the register, Seo Geunho was someone with absolutely no peculiarities. Although he suffered from an illness in his later years, he had lived out the lifespan he was born with, and there was no particular reason for him to linger in the living world. Even so, he couldn’t tell why he was still staying here and accumulating karma.

As Kwon Chasa repeated the name on the jeokpaeji to himself, he arrived at Seo Geunho’s location in an instant. It was an hospital room. Not long after, Kwon Chasa found Seo Geunho near the innermost bed of a ward containing six beds.

Seo Geunho was sitting on a folding chair while staring at a woman lying in the bed. She slept peacefully, her face was lined with wrinkles, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.

Watching the scene from a distance, Kwon Chasa contemplated. He usually drew his buwol when meeting the deceased, but he decided to set it aside for a moment. There wasn’t a particularly grand reason for it. It was simply because he remembered a certain face.

“Seo Geunho.”

As he approached and called the name, Seo Geunho looked at Kwon Chasa with wide eyes. Seo Geunho wore the same hospital [unauthorized copy]gown as the person lying in the bed. Since it was said he passed away after his illness worsened, the place of his passing was this hospital.

From the looks of it, the woman in the bed must be Seo Geunho’s wife. Only then could Kwon Chasa guess the reason why Seo Geunho couldn’t leave the living world. He continued to linger here because he was worried about his wife being left alone.

As if he knew what was about to happen, Seo Geunho offered a weak smile. Seeing the wrinkled corners of the man’s eyes slowly curve reminded Kwon Chasa of a face from a very long time ago, yet still vivid today. It was the face of his father, who had smiled at him even in the moment of his passing.

Kwon Chasa closed his eyes and opened them again. Fortunately, he was able to regain his senses before losing himself in memories. The punishment imposed by Yeomra occasionally plunged him into a deep pit of guilt at unexpected moments.

“Could you give me just a little more time?”

“……”

“Just a moment… a very short moment will do. There’s something I absolutely must say to my wife… I beg of you.”

He couldn’t bring himself to be cold to Seo Geunho, who spoke politely while even bowing his head. Kwon Chasa gave a brief nod to signal his agreement and stepped out of the hospital room for a moment. He felt as though he should give them some space.

He leaned against the hallway wall to observe the people passing right through him and surveyed the atmosphere of the place. Since hospitals were places where many people hover between life and death, the ghostly energy was stronger than in other areas. However, even the energy felt here was weaker than what he had sensed near Jion’s house.

Kwon Chasa crossed his arms as he frowned. What is Baek Kitae’s true identity? What does he want that he keeps approaching the student? After thinking about it for a while, [visit our site]Kwon Chasa sighed. He was busy, but he would have to pay a visit to Yeomra.

The hospital room door opened and closed several times, and while nurses and doctors moved in and out, he checked the jeokpaeji periodically, but there was still no reaction.

Should I have just drawn my axe? He started regretting his decision as his patience, already short like a burning wick, began to run out.

Why did he think of Jion the moment he was debating whether to draw the buwol or not? If he had come here with Jion, the latter would have surely seen his own grandfather in Seo Geunho. Though he didn’t know the full details, Jion was closer to his grandfather than to his parents.

If he had drawn the buwol first, Jion would likely have frowned in disapproval. He would have started nagging, and argued on behalf of the deceased, asking if he couldn’t even overlook that small moment.

‘He’s so kind… I’m a little worried that he might be that kind to bad people too…’

He remembered what Kang Seoyoon had said. Jion already had lost his heart to an unidentified soul like Baek Kitae. He would have felt even more pity for Seo Geunho. He would have somehow tried to comfort him, smiling brightly and saying everything would be okay.

“……”

He’d rather Jion just keep stubbornly talking back at him. He sighed once again.

Kwon Chasa still hadn’t been able to interpret [visit our site]Jion’s expression. After a while, dawn eventually came, and it was only after seeing Jion hurriedly walk out with his bag that he had returned home.

Even though barely four or five hours had passed since then, and he had been busy sending souls to the afterlife in the meantime, he often found himself sighing as Jion’s face suddenly came to mind.

Jion’s expressions revealed everything, enough to roughly interpret what he was thinking just by looking at his face. Whether it was annoyance, fear, or displeasure, he mostly showed negative emotions in front of Kwon Chasa, but occasionally he would smile.

However, he had never made such a downcast expression as he did yesterday.

Before he could lose himself in contemplation, the jeokpaeji in his pocket reacted. Kwon Chasa passed right through the door and into the hospital room. When Seo Geunho bowed politely, Kwon Chasa also lowered his head in silence.

As Kwon Chasa called his name three times in a low voice, shackles were fastened to Seo Geunho’s ankles. After tucking the jeokpaeji into his inner jacket pocket, he summoned a hongsalmun. Upon arriving at the entrance of Mount Sacheon, he saw the imposing figure of Jugeum Gwiwang. As their eyes met, they exchanged a brief bow.

Kwon Chasa handed the jeokpaeji to Jugeum Gwiwang and asked.

“Is Great King Yeomra currently in the middle of a trial?”

“No, she is at the palace. I just saw her before coming here.”

“I see. I’ll leave this in your hands.”

Since he was already in the underworld, he figured it would be best to meet Yeomra and ask about Baek Kitae. Kwon Chasa instantly moved to the entrance of Yeomra Palace. As he reached the main hall, a juak-dongja opened the door with a slightly surprised expression. Yeomra, who happened to be yawning lazily, was startled to see Kwon Chasa entering. The “Child in Charge of Evil Deeds” His duty is to keep a record of every bad deed a person committed while living.

“What brings you here so suddenly?”

Kwon Chasa didn’t even greet the stunned Yeomra, and went straight to the point.

“Please find out if there is a soul named Baek Kitae among those who have not yet come to the underworld.”

“Hmm? No register?”

“He isn’t in the registers I have.”

“If he’s not in the registers I gave you, he must not have been dead for long. But why that soul all of a sudden?”

Yeomra tilted her head, unable to grasp the intention behind Kwon Chasa’s request. Even so, she called a juseon-dongja, relayed Kwon Chasa’s words, and ordered him to find the register for the soul named Baek Kitae. After the juseon-dongja bowed and left the hall, Kwon Chasa finally spoke. They record good deeds

“Something has been weighing on my mind.”

At those words, Yeomra’s eyes narrowed. Hearing that from Kwon Chasa, who never did anything beyond his assigned tasks and had no interest in others’ affairs, was unusual. Knowing his personality, Yeomra couldn’t help but find it strange. She sat up straight with sparkling eyes.

“What is weighing on your mind so much that you even came to find me? You’re always grumbling about being busy.”

“I am busy because someone gives me so much work.”

Kwon Chasa retorted with a smile. Yeomra, feeling sheepish when Kwon Chasa acted like that, cleared her throat.

“Why are you changing the subject instead of answering? I asked what is weighing on your mind.”

He knew he wouldn’t be able to get out of here until he explained properly when he saw the sparkle in Yeomra’s eyes. Should I have just looked for a noksa instead? Kwon Chasa briefly regretted his decision, but he soon spoke.

“The human I contracted with.”

“The human you contracted with? Ah, that living person whose spiritual eyes are open?”

Yeomra asked in an excited voice, her eyes sparkled more than ever unauthorized copy before. As someone who had hoped Kwon Chasa would take an interest in humans, specifically, in human life, this was very good news.

“A day like this actually came. You actually show interest in a human. So, does that human help with the task well? Well, I suppose you’ve already processed a lot. How old is he? What’s his personality like?”

Kwon Chasa laughed in disbelief. He wondered why she was suddenly conducting a background check.