GRR 80

Yu Chasa told Jion that they had decided to put Seon Ayoung’s matter on hold for the time being. After telling him that the letter had been delivered and that they would meet again later, he disappeared and did not come to see Jion for quite some time.

Jion was curious about how things were going in the underground and what judgment Yeomra would make after reading his letter, but thinking of the college entrance exam just a few days away, he forced himself to focus on his studies.

However, he could not completely push Kwon Chasa out of his mind. Instead, he tried to focus by recalling the last words Kwon Chasa had left him, to study hard, so that when he met Kwon Chasa again, he could face him with confidence.

Time passed, slowly at times and fast at others, and the day of the CSAT arrived. Although his test location was different from Oh Hyunsoo, who had chosen a second foreign language, he felt a little less nervous because he was in the same school as Go Youngjae.

After getting ready and putting on his down jacket, Jion stepped out of his room. His grandfather came toward him upon hearing the sound. With a calm expression, his grandfather handed him a thermos lunch box. When their eyes met, Jion gave a small smile.

“Jeseong High School, right?”

“Yes.”

“Take your time coming out when you’re done. Don’t run and fall.”

His grandfather pulled up the zipper of Jion’s down jacket and straightened his clothes. Jion smiled at his grandfather’s playful words that helped him relax.

“Grandpa, let’s go out for some meat tonight.”

“Alright.”

At his grandfather’s cheerful reply, Jion smiled brightly. He couldn’t help but smile, as that single remark encapsulated his grandfather’s feelings, who always put him first and worried about him.

“I’ll be back!”

After saying goodbye to his grandfather, who had come all the way to the front door to see him off, Jion bravely walked out. He walked briskly because the school assigned as his exam center was a bit far away and he had to take a bus.

When he reached the bus stop while facing the cold wind, the bus he needed had just arrived. Jion got on last and managed to grab onto a handrail.

As he steadied his breathing and put his card back into his coat pocket, his gaze moved outside the window. For a moment, he could not believe what he saw, and his brows tightened. An old man was standing in the middle of the road.

“Huh…”

He was so surprised that his heart skipped a beat, but Jion soon realized the man was not alive but a ghost. Cars passed right through him, yet no one noticed.

Why was he standing there? Jion tilted his head slightly. The man seemed to be around the same age as his own grandfather, which bothered him.

At that moment, the bus that had stopped at the light began to move again, and the ghost slowly disappeared from view. The old man kept looking at Jion. He gently waved his hand with a kind smile. It felt like he knew him. But Jion could not remember ever seeing that face before.

Who is he…?

Jion held onto the handrail tightly. He was curious, but as the bus became more crowded, he had to focus on keeping his balance.

Fortunately, many people got off at the same stop as Jion, so he did not miss it. As Jion, who had been pushed out with the crowd, shook his head and let out a long breath, he suddenly felt something strange. He flinched upon turning his head.

“Ah, you scared me…”

The old man he had seen earlier was now standing right beside him.

After calming himself, Jion looked around. The bus stop was crowded with students heading to school, so it was not easy to approach the old man.

Since he had exams today, it would be better to pretend he did not see him for now.

Normally, he would have gone somewhere quiet to hear the old man’s story, but today was too important for that.

“Grandpa… I’ll listen to your story after my exam… so could you please wait for me at the bus stop…”

Jion murmured without moving his lips much and continued walking as if nothing was wrong. But the old man kept following him. He probably had not heard or chose to ignore it.

Jion sighed and stopped briefly. He tried to sense the ghost’s energy. Judging by the presence of the living world’s energy, the person had passed away quite some time ago.

Since Kwon Chasa was not in the living world, Jion wondered if he should call Yu Chasa instead, but he had no way to contact him directly.

Next time, he would have to ask [stolen content]Yu Chasa for a wooden plaque. With that thought, he was about to try speaking to the old man again…

“Chae Ji!”

…When a familiar voice called out. When Jion turned, he saw Go Youngjae waving and walking toward him. Jion raised his hand in response. As Go Youngjae came closer, he tilted his head.

“What are you doing standing here?”

“Uh… I just suddenly got nervous, so I was taking a few deep breaths.”

Jion did not look at Go Youngjae and instead continued glancing at the old man, who was staring at him with a smile. He wished the old man would say something, but since he only smiled, Jion could not understand why he was following him.

Go Youngjae put an arm around Jion’s shoulder and urged him forward.

“It’s cold. Let’s go inside.”

“Uh…”

Before he realized it, Jion was walking alongside him, and even after passing through the school gate, the ghost continued to follow with the same gentle smile.

No matter how much he thought about it, it was not a face he recognized. Why is he following me?

Jion entered the school with that thought still in his mind. Before going into Classroom 3, the exam room he had checked the day before, he said goodbye to Go Youngjae, who had to go further to Classroom 5. After agreeing to have lunch together, Read on Jion entered Classroom 3, where a few seats were already occupied.

The room was so quiet that it felt hard to breathe, and his throat felt dry. He moved quietly, sat down, and exhaled.

“……”

He thought he should at least look over his notebook of wrong answers, so he opened his bag. At that moment, the ghost who had followed him entered through the door, found him, and smiled brightly. He had never experienced anything like this before. A ghost that did not say anything and only followed him while smiling.

He did not feel any harmful intent, but because of what had happened with Baek Kitae, he felt uneasy. He tried not to pay attention, but even when he slightly shifted his gaze, he could still see the old man standing right next to his desk.

I hope he won’t stay there the entire time I take the exam.

He was curious about the old man, but the exam was his priority. Jion opened his notebook and continued reviewing.

He wished a grim reaper would come and take the old man away. It would be even better if Kwon Chasa appeared. But when he realized that even if Kwon Chasa were still in this world, he would not come all the way here just to see him, his nose stung slightly.

Not long after he rubbed the tip of his nose and cleared his mind, an announcement came over the loudspeaker, and the proctor entered the classroom. The tension that had been momentarily forgotten due to the ghost resurfaced. Even as Jion took a deep breath and tidied up his desk, the grandfather ghost continued to watch him from the side with a pleased expression.

He wondered if he would be able to take the exam properly while being so distracted. Jion slowly exhaled and straightened his desk. After attendance was checked, the proctor collected the phones, and the classroom buzzed with activity as everyone prepared.

A familiar chill seeped through his clothes. Jion hunched his shoulders, paused while closing his bag, and suddenly looked toward the classroom door. Everyone was busy preparing for the exam, so Jion was the only one looking in that direction.

“Ah…”

Jion sighed. Amid the noise, a man walked through the classroom. His indifferent eyes passed over Jion’s face. Jion just stared, unable to close his mouth.

His tie was loose, the top button of his shirt undone, his jacket open, and the piercings in his ear still visible. It was someone he knew. Like an unexpected gift, he had appeared right in front of him.

“Kwon Chasa-nim…?”