GRR 78

Jion was taken aback as he recalled the woman, whose appearance was quite different from the Yeomra he had seen in children’s storybooks. The Yeomra in the books had wrinkles on her forehead, a grim expression, and white hair, but the Yeomra he met that day was extremely kind and friendly, and her hair was jet-black.

“But Jion, why did you… no, wait, how did you even meet King Yeomra? When and how?”

If he had known it was Yeomra, he would have told her right then that Kwon Chasa was not at fault, that it was all his fault!

He was so frustrated that he could not defend Kwon Chasa that he was filled with anger. Jion let out a series of sighs, then finally noticed Yu Chasa, who could not hide his surprise, and explained.

“…I met Kwon Chasa.”

“Kwon Chasa came? He didn’t give me any notice! When did you meet him?”

“Um… last weekend.”

Did that mean he came to the living world just to see him? Did he come here even while under disciplinary suspension because he was worried about him? Jion tried to suppress a smile before continuing.

“But not long after, that woman suddenly appeared and told Kwon Chasa he had to leave. So, even though I confessed, Kwon Chasa didn’t even answer and just ran…”

“Huh? Confessed…?”

Jion blurted it out without thinking and became flustered. He cleared his throat and awkwardly laughed, then spoke while avoiding Yu Chasa’s wide eyes.

“Ah, no, um, not a confession, I meant to say thank you. For saving me… Haha… Anyway, [visit our site]I was just curious, so I asked… Who was that woman…?”

Fortunately, Yu Chasa did not seem to notice anything strange and kept nodding.

“I think it was Yeomra? Jion, you must have been really startled. Ah! Did Yeomra do anything for you?”

“She just placed her hand on my chest like this… and my body felt light. All the pain in my chest disappeared too.”

“Ah… I suppose Yeomra intervened. That must be why I didn’t sense any of Baek Kitae’s ghostly aura. That’s a relief.”

A light had appeared when she placed her hand on his chest, that was what helped him. He thought that must be what she meant when she said he had not fully recovered yet.

While he felt grateful to Yeomra, he also wondered if he could meet her again. Even if he could not, since Yu Chasa often went to the underworld, he thought Yu Chasa might be able to meet Yeomra.

“Chasa-nim, can you meet King Yeomra anytime?”

“Not exactly anytime… but it’s not difficult to see her. Why do you ask?”

“I feel better now thanks to King Yeomra, but I never got to thank her. Can I go…”

“That’s out of the question! Only the dead can go to the underworld. Absolutely not.”

It was the first time he had seen Yu Chasa be so firm with him, so he felt a little surprised. But Jion quickly offered another option. He had already expected Yu Chasa to refuse and had thought of this beforehand.

“Then… could you at least pass on a message for me? I’m just very, very grateful. Ah, actually, I’ll just write a letter myself. Could you ​Read on​just make sure to deliver it to King Yeomra? Please?”

Jion looked at Yu Chasa with pleading eyes. After thinking for a moment, Yu Chasa smiled and nodded.

“Since you’ve already met Yeomra, Jion… I think it would be fine to pass along a letter. Give it to me later, and I will make sure it gets to her.”

“Thank you!”

Yu Chasa nodded and smiled. Jion clenched his fist behind his back and made up his mind.

He decided he would write a letter filled with sincerity so that it would move Yeomra’s heart.

***

Saturday morning. After his grandfather left for work, Jion packed his bag to make it look like he had been to the library. Finally, he put the letter he had placed on his desk into his bag.

The letter, which he had written quickly the night before, contained a message to be delivered to Yeomra through Yu Chasa.

Jion left the house with a more serious expression than usual. When Yu Chasa saw Jion come out, he waved cheerfully. After exchanging a brief greeting, the two stepped through the gate to meet Seon Ayoung.

The place Jion arrived at was a small children’s park in a quiet neighborhood. Perhaps because the weather had suddenly turned cold, or maybe because it was still too early for children to come out and play, there were no children in sight.

“She’s sitting over there.”

Yu Chasa spoke softly as he approached and pointed with his finger. When Jion turned [stolen content]his gaze, he saw a girl in a school uniform sitting carelessly on the ground near the swings. The blurred outline around her body made it clear that she was a ghost, not a human.

Jion carefully observed Seon Ayoung. She was just staring into space, but her eyes did not focus on anything, so it was impossible to tell what she was looking at.

But since she had answered Yu Chasa’s questions, it did not seem like it would be difficult to talk to her. Even the ghosts who had shown hostility at first had eventually gone to the underworld, so Seon Ayoung, who could communicate, might be easier than expected.

Jion exchanged a glance with Yu Chasa, then slowly approached Seon Ayoung. Whether she had not noticed him or was pretending not to notice, Seon Ayoung continued to stare into space.

After hesitating for a moment, Jion sat down right next to Seon Ayoung. Even though there was a perfectly good bench right behind her, he had no choice if he wanted to talk to her. Even then, Seon Ayoung didn’t react to his presence.

Jion glanced around, cleared his throat softly, and then spoke carefully.

“…Hi, Ayoung.”

Only then did Seon Ayoung turn to look at Jion. Her previously unfocused eyes became clear, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. She looked once at Jion, then once at Yu Chasa who had come closer, then fixed her gaze on Jion again.

“…Can you see me?”

Jion smiled and nodded. Seon Ayoung blinked several times, as if she could not believe it. Meanwhile, Jion focused on feeling the energy coming from Seon Ayoung.

There was a trace of the energy of this world, but there was no sign that she was turning into a vengeful spirit. If things went well, he might be able to send Seon Ayoung to the underworld more easily than expected.

While Jion was thinking this, Yu Chasa quietly took out the jeokpaeji from his pocket. After checking that the jeokpaeji was still inactive, he looked at Jion and shook his head.

“Ayoung, have you thought it over?”

“…….”

“Do you still not want to be reincarnated?”

Seon Ayoung looked at Yu Chasa for a moment, then quickly looked away and nodded slightly. It was the first time Jion had seen a soul refuse to go to the underworld simply because they did not want to be reincarnated.

However, he could understand it to some extent. He had some idea of what Seon Ayoung had experienced before her death and the situation she had been in. Jion hesitated to speak, worried that he might hurt her with careless words.

Seon Ayoung, who had been watching Jion think, spoke first.

“…Are you a grim reaper too?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m human. But I can see ghosts. I can see grim reapers too.”

Seon Ayoung’s eyes widened in surprise, and Jion gave a small smile. It was an unexpected question, but it was better than her not reacting at all. That way, he could keep the conversation going.

After hesitating briefly, Jion spoke carefully.

“…I heard from Yu Chasa. He said you didn’t want to be reincarnated.”

“…Yeah.”

She hesitated slightly before answering, but her voice was firm. If Kwon Chasa had been here, [stolen content]he would have tried to pressure Seon Ayoung into reincarnating quickly, just like he had done with Suho.

Why was he so focused on sending other souls to be reincarnated, even though he himself had said he did not want to be reincarnated? If Jion knew the reason, he thought he might be able to persuade Seon Ayoung.

Not knowing what to do, Jion sighed and thought carefully. He felt that he needed to at least hear the reason why she did not want to be reincarnated. He had a rough idea, but he could not be sure until he heard it directly.

“Ayoung, then… can you tell me why you don’t want to be reincarnated?”

He asked as gently as possible, but Seon Ayoung closed her mouth and lowered her head. Her fingers trembled.

Hearing her story was important, but Jion felt that not making her uncomfortable was even more important. So he decided to step back.

“It’s okay. If it’s too hard to talk about, you don’t have to force yourself.”

He realized he might need to approach this more carefully and slowly than he had expected. If he handled it poorly, he might end up hurting Seon Ayoung again.

All the ghosts he had met until now had been unable to leave this place because they still had attachments to the living world. That was why he had been able to send them to the underworld by granting their wishes and helping them come to terms with their grief. But since Seon Ayoung’s situation was different, he did not know how he should approach her.