GRR 74

Yu Chasa let out a troubled sigh at the end. It was the first time Jion had ever seen him, who was always so cheerful, looking so distressed. The situation was more serious than he had imagined.

“I should have tried to take the buwol by any means necessary… I never expected Kwon Chasa to stain the jeokpaeji with blood without a moment’s hesitation…”

Jion had never seen a grim reaper spill blood on the jeokpaeji before. Was that strange act part of the ritual to shatter the soul of the deceased? As he recalled Kwon Chasa cutting his own hand without a moment’s hesitation, the chest pain he thought had subsided began to flare up again.

Jion’s expression suddenly turned tearful, and he asked urgently.

“Then what will happen to Kwon Chasa?”

Jion’s mind was filled with nothing but worry for Kwon Chasa. Although Kwon Chasa had said the fault lay with the grim reaper who had failed to properly escort Baek Kitae in the first place, Jion couldn’t just let it slide. He felt it were all his fault.

Yu Chasa looked at Jion, whose eyes were red as if he might cry at any moment, and shook his head slightly.

“I don’t know the details… but he’ll probably face disciplinary action. Yeomra summoned him, so he had to go.”

“……”

“He said he won’t be able to come unauthorized copy back for a while, so he asked me to keep a close eye on you.”

To think he was worried about him when he didn’t even know what would happen to him next. Jion clutched his aching chest and remained silent for a long while.

“Will… he come back…?”

“I don’t know….”

Yu Chasa, seemingly unsure of the answer himself, gave a vague response. He let out a loud sigh, then forced a faint smile.

“Oh, right. You should probably head home now. I’ll walk you there. Just a moment.”

He stood up and hurried toward the kitchen, and after a moment, Jion heard the sound of rustling. Yu Chasa reappeared shortly after with a banana milk in hand. Jion couldn’t help but think of Kwon Chasa again, and his heart ached

Jion politely accepted the banana milk and bowed. He closed his eyes and finished the bitter milk. Yu Chasa gave him a bright smile and gestured toward the front door. Jion stood up without a word and began to walk away.

With every step, a thought followed. It was all his fault that Kwon Chasa had destroyed Baek Kitae’s spirit. He’d been the one to blurt out that reckless offer to act as bait, and Kwon Chasa had saved him just because he’d nearly been possessed by Baek Kitae without even putting up a fight.

If there was going to be any disciplinary action or punishment, he should be the one to face it, not Kwon Chasa.

Jion stared down at his shoes, and clenched his fists tightly. It was the first ​visit our site​time he’d ever felt this powerless. He felt ashamed of how he’d acted so smug just because he could talk to ghosts. Just as Kwon Chasa had said, he’d simply been lucky not to have crossed paths with a vengeful spirit until now, he could have faced this kind of danger at any time.

He felt a lump in his throat.

“…Jion? Are you… crying?”

“No, I’m not crying… I’m not crying, sniff… no, I’m not… ”

Even as his eyes grew hot and his vision blurred with tears, Jion shook his head at Yu Chasa’s question. He felt frustrated and helpless, there was nothing he could do to help Kwon Chasa. He wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand and took several deep breaths.

Yu Chasa gently patted him on the back. He reassured him that everything would be fine and that nothing serious would happen, but Jion stood there for a while, rubbing his eyes until his skin stung.

***

Knock, knock.

Kwon Chasa, who had been sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids. Not long after, Cheonjo Gwiwang and Gamsu Gwiwang appeared through the open door.

“Let’s go, Kwon Chasa.”

Kwon Chasa rose from his seat without a word. As they stepped into the hallway, one unauthorized copytook his place to his left, and the other to his right. At first glance, it looked as though they were escorting a criminal, but Kwon Chasa wore a completely impassive expression.

Seeing that Yeomra had sent Kings instead of juak or juseon, he could only assume that her anger had not subsided in the slightest.

When a soul shatters, the first to notice it are the judges under Jingwang, the First King of the underworld. They would reported it immediately, and the news would spread to the rest of the Kings.

The news spread so quickly that Kwon Chasa heard Yeomra’s voice the very moment Jion called out to him and lost consciousness. But he pretended not to hear the voice filled with rage several times. Saving Jion was his priority.

Only after using the flowers he had gathered from the Seocheon Flower Garden to restore Jion’s breathing and get his blood flowing again did Kwon Chasa head toward Yeomra Palace. Although Yeomra had rained down a litany of scolding for quite some time, his mind was completely consumed by thoughts of Jion, so his memory of that moment was somewhat hazy. The only vivid memory he had was of Yeomra, who rarely raised her voice, ordering him to “behave himself.”

Before long, he arrived at the main hall of Yeomra Palace. As if they had been waiting for him, the doors opened, and as Kwon Chasa stepped inside, he felt a bit confused. He had assumed all the other Kings would be present, but to his surprise, only Yeomra was there. However, judging by the still-chaotic atmosphere inside, he could tell the others had left only a short while ago.

“You two, step outside.”

Yeomra spoke to the Kings, unable to hide her weariness. They bowed and left the hall.

Yeomra looked at Kwon Chasa’s impassive face and let out a sigh of exasperation.

“Your face is all shiny.”

Kwon Chasa, who would normally have retorted [unauthorized copy]without hesitation, remained silent. Yeomra let out a long sigh and shook her head.

It hadn’t been long since he’d been told to bring the soul back intact, yet he had completely shattered it. In over 300 years, Kwon Chasa had never caused such a mishap. In fact, he had done his duty so well all this time that Yeomra had almost wanted to reincarnate him on the spot.

Was this revenge for forcing him to go to the living world when he’d said he didn’t want to? Yeomra massaged her throbbing temples. Regardless of how she reacted, Kwon Chasa simply asked calmly,

“Has my punishment been decided?”

Ever since he had cut his hand with the buwol, he had been prepared for some form of punishment. Whether he was sent to the Hell of Boiling Oil to clean up the mess, or to suffer punishment himself, he was willing to accept whatever was given.

Yeomra looked at Kwon Chasa and let out a short sigh.

“Tell me.”

“……”

“Just once, let me hear the real reason why you did that.”

Yeomra picked up the teacup sitting on the table and drained the remaining tea. Even as she sat there with her back straight, Kwon Chasa couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Even if there were a reason, there would be no leniency. After all, even a grim reaper was, in the underworld, no different from a sinner.

He didn’t know what Yeomra was thinking when she asked for a reason, but since he wasn’t in a position to stand tall before her now, he had to answer.

Kwon Chasa thought for a moment. The only thought in his mind had been to save Jion. He could have followed Yeomra’s instructions and inflicted just enough harm to keep Baek Kitae’s soul intact. But since Baek Kitae had changed his plan from possessing Jion’s body to killing him, he had simply responded accordingly.

“…Baek Kitae tried to kill a living human.”

“Is that the living human you mentioned making a contract with?”

“Yes.”

Yeomra’s expression grew serious, she had heard an answer she hadn’t expected. If Baek Kitae had killed that living person, the order of the living world might have collapsed once again due to a soul failing to arrive in the underworld in time.

“What is the living person’s name?”

“…Chae Jion.”

“Date of birth?”

“I don’t know.”

After hearing Kwon Chasa’s reply, Yeomra pondered for a moment before summoning a juseon-dongja. The latter, who had been listening with a serious expression, left the hall. Kwon Chasa stared quietly at Yeomra, who tapped the armrest of her throne with her fingertips.

What kind of judgment would she pass? He was prepared to obey whatever order she gave, but one thing troubled him. If he were barred from returning to the living world, he would never be able to see Jion again.

Having heard his story from Yu Chasa, Jion might be worried about him. After experiencing his meddlesome nature, more than once, Kwon Chasa could easily imagine what expression Jion would wear and what he might be thinking.

He would blame himself, thinking it was all his fault that Kwon Chasa had shattered Baek Kitae’s soul and committed an act forbidden to a grim reaper. Given his nature, he’d likely be thinking exactly that.

But from Kwon Chasa’s perspective, Jion was the one he was far more worried about. Since the ghostly energy hadn’t completely dissipated yet, ghosts and spirits would likely keep clinging to him until it faded. His body might not be fully healed yet, so Kwon Chasa should be by his side to keep watch.

Just as he began to feel uncharacteristically anxious, the juseon-dongja who had left the hall returned. He whispered something in Yeomra’s ear and left again after receiving her nod.

“Well, things didn’t get too complicated after all. They say that living person still has many days left to live.”